Shadows of Time
by Ferngirl
Summary: When Ganon gains control over time, none of the eras and lands are safe. Yet in his haste, he let one of his enemies slip out. In this endless time of great need, the fate of the lands rests on one Link whose loyalty is, at best, questionable.
1. The Shadow of the Hero

Shadows of Time

Ok, I'll try not to say too much in the first chapter, but as a warning, this chapter is darker than I usually write. The rest probably won't be quite this dark.

Chapter 1: The Shadow of the Hero

Link grit his teeth and held his left arm close against his body. He winced and tried not to cry out as pain shot through his arm.

Something shoved him hard from behind and Link tumbled forwards. He landed heavily on the stone floor, barely putting his good arm out in time to stop him from falling onto his injured left arm. For several moments, he remained on hand and knees, gasping for breath, eyes shut tight in pain. He was trembling. His hair caked with sweat. His green hero's tunic was tattered and shredded in places. There were several patches that were stained red with blood. His left arm was broken, fractured mid-way up the forearm.

Then Link slowly sat up and turned to face the man behind him.

Ganondorf stood over Link, smirking and triumphant. He was clearly amused at Link's state.

_He's different this time, _Link thought weakly. _When I fought him least-when the seven sages and I sealed him away-he wasn't this strong. I… I lost. How could he be back? How can he be here after we sealed him away? How is he so different from last time? _

It took Link's blurred mind a minute to realize that he was sitting in a cell. Ganondorf had dragged him to a dungeon. The whole way, Link had been on the verge of fainting from the pain. He didn't remember exactly where he was. In a sort of castle. Ganondorf's current base, no doubt.

Ganondorf was standing at the cell door, but he hadn't shut it yet. His hand was resting on the edge of the metal door, ready to close it when needed.

The room beyond the cell was walled with blocks of stone. Torches were set along the walls, casting flickering shadows through the iron bars of Link's cell. Behind Ganon, there was a large heavy wooden table. On it, all of Link's possessions had been dumped unceremoniously in a pile. His sword was there, along with his other weapons and treasures. There was the Ocarina of Time also. It had been just over seven years since Princess Zelda had sent him back in time to re-live the years he'd spent sealed in the sacred realm. She had given him the Ocarina of Time again. He'd been to Termina on his search for Navi, followed by six more years worth of adventures. It was only a few months ago where Link had caught up with time again. Just a few months since Ganondorf had been defeated in this time. But Ganon was back. And he was stronger. They'd fought. He'd crushed Link in battle, and then captured him.

Yes, his sword was there on the table, but it was hopeeless. Link would never be able to get past Ganondorf to reach it. And either way, even if he got his sword, it wouldn't do him any good. His left arm-his main arm-was broken. He wouldn't be able to fight.

"I gotta…" Link muttered, not even aware that he was speaking aloud. Even so, it was no more than a husky whisper. "I gotta… get… help…"

"Hm," Ganon snorted in amusement. "There's no one left to help you." He spirked and turned away. "Over the centuries, you and your descendants have defeated me over and over. But that wasn't all wasted time for me. In that time, I have watched and learned. Besides, no matter how often the heroes defeat me, as long as the Triforce of power is mine, I'll never truly vanish. And now that time is mine, I'll have nothing to fear from any of the Links or Zeldas! No one is left who can help you. Even those pesky sages have been dealt with."

Link could barely understand what Ganon was talking about. It didn't make any sense. Time? Other Links and Zeldas? Were there really others? Were they in danger too?

Ganon continued talking, unaware that Link's battered body was having trouble comprehending everything he was saying. "No one's to stop me from getting the Triforce at last! The one I need from you, where it's strongest, when you retrieved it seven years ago. And the princess too!"

Link dropped his gaze to the Triforce mark on the back of his left hand. He had to do something. He couldn't let Ganon take the Triforce from him. And he had to protect Zelda too! But what could he do?

One of the torches sputtered, making the shadows dance on the stone walls of the cell.

Then Link knew what must be done.

Ganondorf turned away to examine the things on the table. He lifted Link's sword and examined it.

"Hm," he muttered. "This blade is nowhere near as powerful as the Master Sword. I suppose that accursed blade is still sealed in the Temple of Time. That's fine. Let it rot there."

"Take it," Link whispered. "Take the Triforce."

Ganondorf thought that Link was talking to him. He smirked. "Have you finally given up? That was almost too easy. I'm disappointed in you." He set the plain sword back on the table.

Ganon didn't see the hazy dark hand reach from the flickering shadows. He didn't see Link reach towards in and clasp his left hand with the dark shape. Link ignored the pain in his broken arm. And the Triforce mark on the back of his hand blinked once, and then faded away.

The strange hazy hand sank out of sight just as Ganondorf turned back towards Link.

"Take the Triforce and the Ocarina of Time and find help," Link whispered.

Ganondorf sneered. "Who are you talking to? I've already told you, there's no one to help you."

Link slowly raised his head to stare defiantly into Ganondorf's face. Behind Ganon, Link caught a glimpse of that same dark hand as it reached out and took the Ocarina of Time from the table.

"You're wrong," Link said through clenched teeth. The corner of his mouth twitched up in a wry smile. "You've missed one Link."

Ganondorf sneered, he reached down and grabbed the front of Link's shirt. Link winced in pain and held his bad arm against his side as Ganondorf lifted him off of the ground and glared into his face.

"What are you talking about?" Ganon demanded.

Link only smirked back.

Then Ganondorf saw his own shadow flickering on the cell wall. And though he was holding Link, Link's shadow was not there.

Ganondorf dropped Link, who staggered against the wall. He turned around and saw that the ocarina was gone.

Ganondorf let out a roar of fury and turned on Link.

"Call it back!" he snarled. "If you value your life, call it back!"

Link glared up at Ganondorf. "There are some things more important than a person's life. You'll never win, Ganon. Never. There will always be someone to…"

He never finished. Ganondorf swung his fist around and slammed it into the side of Link's head. A faint sound escaped Link's mouth, and he sprawled to the ground where he lay motionless.

Ganondorf turned and slammed the cell door shut behind him. With one motion, he overturned the wooden table and sent it shattering to the floor. Ganon stormed out of the room, leaving the shadow-less Link alone in the cell.


	2. To Trust a Shadow

First of all, I promise that Link's not dead.

Second of all, I will be borrowing some stuff from the Zelda mangas. I suggest you read them. They are pretty good. And they leave you with actual ideas of what the characters are like. For example, at the end of Four Swords, Shadow Link turned good. And after I read that, I thought that he would make a good character to use for my story. So here he is.

And I blame my friend E. It's all her fault that Shadow Link turned out like this. This is also my first time writing for a character like Shadow Link. It's kind of amusing, actually. You'll see what I mean soon enough. Til then, you can start feeling sorry for Medli. Yes, Medli. I have such a huge soft spot for winged people.

Chapter 2: To Trust a Shadow

The sweet, soft notes of a harp floated out across the ocean, blending with the rush of the waves. High on a cliff top, a girl stood, her fingers dancing over the strings of her small lyre. She wasn't any ordinary girl though. For she had a beak and there were feathers on her arms. As her song drew to a close, she paused for a moment, listening as the last notes faded away into the wind.

Medli lowered her harp and smiled. She set her instrument down and spread her arm-wings wide, feeling the wind between her feathers.

_I wonder where Link's got to,_ she thought to herself. _He's the one who taught me that song. Last I heard, he went out on Tetra's ship. I thought he'd be back by now. _

She was distracted from her thoughts when several birds fluttered past. At least she thought they were birds until she noticed that they were glowing.

There were three of them. One was pale yellow, the other light blue, and the last was bright purple. They flew past her, then paused and doubled back to examine the rito girl.

They were fairies!

"How did you get all the way out here?" Medli asked, surprised

"They're not alone."

Medli whirled around, her heart skipping a beat.

There was someone on the ledge behind her. He was leaning back against the cliff wall, hidden in the shadow of Dragonroost Island. His arms were crossed and he was smirking slightly. He seemed familiar.

She tensed and took a step backwards. He seemed a little like Link but he was _definitely _not the same. This boy was quite a bit older than the Link she knew, and taller too. His hair was black, and so were his clothes. His skin was very pale, and his expression was different than any she'd ever seen on Link's face.

"Who are you?" Medli demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, good questions," said the dark boy, standing and taking a few paces across the ledge.

Medli automatically took another step backwards towards the cliff. She picked up her lyre as well.

"As for why I'm here, I would assume that I need to speak with you. Otherwise I wouldn't have been brought here."

What?

"You didn't answer my first question," Medli said suspiciously. "Who are you?" Although she already had a good idea of who he was. After she'd awakened as the incarnation of the sage Laruto, she had learned many things about past worlds and the battles that took place in them. And this boy seemed to fit the description of one of them perfectly.

"Who are _you_?" the boy retorted.

"Very well then. If you won't answer my question," Medli said, "then I will. You are Shadow Link, the evil force that took the form of the hero."

"Evil, am I?" Replied Shadow Link, raising an eyebrow. "Hmm. Luckily my solid self has a bit more faith in me. Enough to grant me a very important task."

"Is that right?" Medli replied. Though she didn't expect a direct attack from him, she remained wary. "And exactly _which_ Link are you a shadow of?"

"The original Link. The hero of time, the one who opened the door to the Triforce and first sealed Ganondorf away. Now tell me, bird girl, where is the Link from this time?"

"_Link_ is away," Medli replied stubbornly.

"That's for sure. Along with Princess Zelda."

"What?"

"Shadow Link!" shouted one of the fairies. The three of them fluttered over to join them. It was the blue one who had spoken. "Stop teasing her! Tell her what's going on! She may be in danger too! You were brought here for a reason!"

"Hmph," Shadow Link muttered. "Well then, I'll make it simple. Ganon is back. And I don't think it's overly dramatic to say that everyone's in danger. _Especially _Link and Zelda. If they haven't been captured already. Luckily for _you_, I escaped, so there's someone the world can depend on." He examined his fingernails nonchalantly.

"Impossible," Medli snapped. "Ganon is dead. He lost the Triforce of Power. Hyrule is at the bottom of the sea."

The yellow fairy gave an alarmed ringing sound. "At the bottom of the sea? How can that be?"

"But that means Termina is too," the purple fairy cried.

"How did it happen? How can Hyrule be at the bottom of the sea?" the blue fairy cried.

"If you'd be quiet for a moment, Navi," said the white fairy, "she might be able to answer."

"Oh, shut up!" Shadow Link snapped. "Why on earth did you guys have to come with me?"

"Well, you were glad when he brought…"

Navi didn't get a chance to finish. Shadow Link swung his hat up, swiftly trapping all three fairies in it. Before the fairies had a chance to fly out again, Shadow Link rammed the hat back onto his head.

"Just be quiet! Tatl, Tael, and Navi! Hush up so I can ask the questions. I didn't want to bring you along anyway!"

"I liked the other Link better," came Tael's muffled voice from inside that hat.

"He certainly wasn't so touchy," Tatl agreed. "But I guess we got to go with him if we want to save the _real _Link."

Shadow Link gave his hat a whack, and all of the fairies fell silent.

"Finally," He muttered. "So, tell me. What's happened?"

"I'm not sure I can trust you," Medli said, rather startled at the scene with the fairies. "But the sage Laruto has told me a lot, and she even mentioned Navi, so I believe the fairies at least."

"Laruto?" Shadow Link repeated. "Who is that?"

"She was the Zora sage of the Earth Temple." Medli was talking more so the fairies could hear her more than Shadow Link. She expected them to be more helpful. "I am Medli, the incarnation of Laruto. I am the current sage of the Earth temple."

"Earth Temple?" Shadow Link repeated blankly. "There was no Earth Temple. And _Ruto_ was a Zora, but she was the sage of the Water Temple. And you're a bird. They're not of the earth. They're of the air."

"Well," Medli said haughtily, "Obviously things have changed since your time. And as for Hyrule being under the sea, that is due to time. Oceans move and kingdoms fall. The highest mountains on the mainland were once under the ocean. It was Hyrule's turn to sink beneath the waves."

"Hmph. What a way for the great kingdom to finally fall. To be engulfed by the sea. All that time defending Hyrule-wasted. Whatever. So, there's a Link in this time at least. And you say that he killed Ganon and took the Triforce of power from him?"

"Yes."

"Well, then it's possible that the Ganon who just attacked me came from a time before this one. But if that were so… then how would he know about the Link from this time? Maybe Link didn't really kill Ganon."

"Link left the Master Sword embedded in Ganon's head," Medli snapped in defense of her friend.

"Yuck."

"And the ancient King of Hyrule took the whole Tirforce and used it to set Hyrule at peace at last."

"In other words, he let it remain buried at the bottom of the ocean. A sad fate for Hyrule. Only a few little mountain peaks remain above the water level. Well, that means I can't get the Master Sword. I wonder why it brought me here if the Master Sword isn't available."

"What brought you here?"

"The Ocarina of Time. I played the Song of Time and it brought me here. I assumed it brought me here because this is where I'd be able to get the Master Sword. That's the only thing that can defeat Ganondorf. But you say it's under the ocean. So that doesn't do me any good. I can only assume that it brought me here for you."

"Me?"

"Yes. You say that you're the incarnation of a sage. Which means that you'll have useful knowledge. It also means that Ganon may be after you. He captured the sages from my time. So you might be next. Are there any other sages in this world?"

"Only Makar."

"Makar?"

"Yes. He's the wind sage."

"Then he might be in danger too. It's lucky I got here before Ganondorf did." He smirked importantly. "Though it's curious. If this Link did kill Ganon and he lost the Triforce… Well, now's not the time to be worrying about that. Do you know where I might be able to get the Master Sword?"

Then Link's hat floated up off of his head and the three fairies zoomed out. The hat flopped to the ground.

Cursing, Shadow Link snatched the hat and rammed it back onto his head.

"You stupid fairies. Why did Skull Kid have to bring you? All I wanted was those masks!"

"Skull Kid?" Medli repeated.

"Yes. That little imp who stole Majora's mask and almost dropped the moon on Termina."

"You trust someone like _that_ to help you?" Medli exclaimed.

"It wasn't Skull Kid's fault!" Tael cried. "He was being controlled."

Shadow Link continued loudly to drown out the fairy's voice. "He has nothing to do with Ganon. Which is probably why you didn't learn about him from the sage before you. When I escaped Ganon, I ran into Skull Kid. I asked him to help me, so he brought me some… useful tools. But I still lack a sword. And unfortunately he also brought along these three." He gestured to the fairies. "Which is ironic. Because my solid self spent quite a lot of time searching for Navi. And here she is, with me." He grimaced.

"Well, I'd much rather be with the _real_ Link than with you," Navi snapped. "And besides, we escaped your hat to tell you something. Remember, the Master Sword can only be wielded by a true, pure-hearted hero. Though Link gave you the Triforce and the Ocarina out of desperation, that doesn't mean that the Master Sword will allow itself to be wielded by you."

"I've never seen the Master Sword," Tael cut in.

"Hush, Tael!" Tatl snapped. "The Master Sword is a very special sword. Almost better than the Fierce Deity sword. And they need it to beat Ganon."

"But surely Ganon can't be worse than Majora's Mask?" Tael asked, worried.

"He surely can," Navi hissed.

"Oh, shut up!" Shadow Link snarled. He took a swipe at the fairies, but they dodged. "I almost wish I hadn't asked that little imp for help! The masks aren't worth the trouble of dealing with the three of you!"

"We're not leaving this in your hands, Shadow Link!" Navi snapped.

"Yes," Tatl agreed. "We're still not sure you're up to the task. What's to stop you from keeping the Triforce of Courage for yourself and leaving the _real _Link in that dungeon?"

Shadow Link smirked. "True. The Triforce is the only thing that keeps me in solid form. Though I doubt I'd fare well if sunlight struck me full on. Which is why I'm glad we're in the shadow of this island."

"Exactly," Navi continued. "We can't trust that you'll return to Link. Therefore we're going to keep an eye on you."

"That's a very good idea," Medli agreed. "I think I should accompany you."

"No way!" Shadow Link snapped. "I already have enough baggage with these three."

"You said yourself that you needed my information. And if you intend to search around this time period anymore, you'll need my help. How do you plan to get from island to island? You don't have a boat. And I know a dragon who may be able to fly us where you want to go."

"I don't need anything else from this time," Shadow Link snapped. "I need the Master Sword."

"And how are you going to find the sword?" Medli retorted. "You need me. And we need to check on Makar. You said that he's in danger."

"_Everyone_ will be in danger if I don't do something."

"Then we'd better get a move on. I'm going to tell the rest of the Rito. They might be able to help us too. And I'll ask the dragon Valoo to give us a lift to Forest Haven."

"You can't tell everyone!" Shadow Link exclaimed. "I'm trying to keep this quiet!"

Medli glared at him. "You'll need as many allies as you can get. The Rito are messengers. They'll soon tell everyone on the oceans of the danger. There is strength and safety in numbers. Everyone needs a chance to defend themselves against this evil."

Shadow Link glared at her for a moment. Then he shrugged. "It doesn't make a difference to me. Hurry up then. Get your dragon to take us to find the other sage."


	3. The Wing Tribe

Medli is a very sweet-tempered person. But she needs to be a bit more assertive to get Shadow Link to behave. Luckily she seems able to keep him on a leash, if a rather loose one…

And I know a lot of people don't like Navi. I promise I won't make her obnoxious. Pretend she's a different character.

Hey!

Listen!

Chapter 3: The Wing Tribe

Shadow Link waited in the shade of Dragonroost Island.

Navi, Tatl, and Tael perched on a ledge on the cliff out of Shadow Link's reach. Tael was asleep. Navi was bobbing back and forth anxiously.

After a few minutes alone, Shadow Link sat down against the stone and dropped his hat over his head to shut his eyes for a minute.

The rustle of feathers made him look up again.

Two Rito were flying towards him. One of them was Medli. The other was a boy.

They landed across the ledge.

"This is Shadow Link," Medli said to the Rito boy. "And this is Komali. He's the Rito prince," she explained.

"Medli told us what you said," Komali sighed. ""I hope Link's all right. He does have a lot of friends around here."

"Link always has a lot of friends," Shadow Link smirked. "And none of them ever notice his handsome shadow."

"You're right," Komali said to Medli. "He's not at all like the real Link."

"See, that's what I mean. You keep calling him the _real_ Link. Does that make me the fake Link?"

"You're just a shadow," Komali said, putting his hands on his hips.

Shadow Link sneered. "Just the Shadow that the _real_ Link is depending on right now to save his sorry hide."

Komali turned to Medli. "I'm worried about you," he said softly. "I wish I could come to make sure that you're safe."

Medli shook her head. "You have to stay here. You're the prince. You need to make sure that everyone here stays safe."

"We'll look after her," Tatl chimed.

"Yes. Don't worry," Navi added.

Tael (having woken up) nodded in agreement.

"So, either way," Shadow Link said loudly, "we can't leave until the sun sets. I can't travel in the day. Even with the Triforce, light isn't healthy for me. Though without the Triforce, I wouldn't even be able to stay solid."

"It's a few hours until dark," Medli said. "Do you want to come inside?"

Shadow Link sneered and shook his head. "I don't like company."

"Should we bring you food then? Or do you not need to eat because you're a shadow?"

Link shrugged. "Whatever."

"You're welcome," Komali grumbled.

"I'll bring you something," Medli offered.

"I want to go too!" Tael cried excitedly.

"No, Tael!" Tatl hissed. "We need to stay here and keep an eye on Shadow Link!"

Shadow Link shook his head in disgust. "I'm no kid that needs supervision."

"And Medli is much nicer than _him,_" Tatl added.

"You can come if you like," Medli said to Tael.

Tael gave a happy ringing sound and fluttered over to land on Medli's shoulder.

With a flap of her wings, Medli took off and glided down towards the Rito village. Komali glanced back at Shadow Link once more and then followed her.

Shadow Link dropped his hat over his face again and leaned back against the cliff.

Medli and Komali alighted on the platform overlooking the Great Sea. The rest of the Rito were there waiting for them.

"Are you sure he's telling the truth?" Quill asked.

"I'm worried about you," The Chieftan sighed. "That copy of Link could be leading you to danger. And even if he is telling the truth, he speaks of dangerous times. It is foolish to go off with such an untrustworthy character in the face of such danger."

"I have important information that he needs," Medli replied. "I know about some of the history of the Triforce bearers from… from when Link was around. And besides, he's my friend. I need to make sure he's safe."

"And we'll be there to take care of her!" Tael exclaimed from Medli's shoulder. "We'll make sure Shadow Link doesn't do anything bad! Cause if he doesn't, I'll get him!"

Medli smiled. "Thanks, Tael." Though someone his size probably wouldn't be able to do much against Shadow Link. Come to think of it, did Shadow Link have any special powers? He very well might…

"Anyway, Valoo will be going with us until we reach Forest Haven. That will give us some time to figure out what Shadow Link's about. We'll figure out what to do next after we check on Makar. But you guys need to spread the word. It's important that everyone knows of the returning danger."

"All right, Medli," the Chieftan agreed reluctantly. "I trust you. And I don't think that any danger will befall you. But you take the utmost care."

"I will. We'll be very careful. I'll send word back once we reach Forest Haven."

Medli and Komali went to the storage room together to get some food and supplies.

"Here," Komali whispered as he handed the bag to Medli. "This is my knife. Keep it with you to protect yourself."

Medli smiled. "Thanks, Komali."

"You be sure to come home safe, you hear?"

"I promise."


	4. Burning Ship

Chapter 4: Burning Ship

As the sun set, Medli and Komali flew up to the ledge one last time. Shadow Link eyed them cynically as the two of them landed.

"I hope you're ready to go. Unless you want everyone to _die_, we'd better hurry."

"You're the one who didn't want to go till nightfall!" Komali growled.

"Enough of that," Medli sighed. "Valoo is coming, and we've packed supplies. It shouldn't take more than an hour to reach Forest Haven, but we don't know what we'll find when we get there. We'd better be prepared."

"You don't need to tell _me_ that."

A heavy beating sound made them look up. Valoo, the large red dragon who lived on top of Dragonroost Island, was descending from the sky. He hovered in front of the ledge where The Rito, fairies, and Shadow Link were waiting.

Shadow Link raised his eyebrows. "Not as impressive as Volvagia."

"Valoo's more impressive than anything you got!" Komali snapped.

Valoo rumbled something in a strange foreign language. Medli understood and nodded.

"Barring the rude comment he made about you," Medli translated, "He says we're ready to go."

"Need help getting on his back?" Komali said, with a hint of sarcasm to his voice.

Shadow Link smirked. As Valoo's back drew level with the ledge, Shadow Link leapt lightly onto the dragon's shoulders.

Valoo rumbled something again as Shadow Link settled himself at the base of the dragon's neck.

Medli cocked her head. Valoo had said that Shadow Link weighed almost nothing. Well, he was a shadow.

Medli fluttered her wings and in a moment was seated behind Shadow Link. The fairies settled themselves in the wrap around Medli's shoulders.

The other Rito were lined up on the walkway below the ledge. They and Komali waved solemnly as Valoo beat away from the island across the open ocean.

Medli waved to her tribe as the night swallowed them out. She didn't know when she would see them next. Something told her that it wouldn't be a simple journey to Forest Haven to pick up Makar.

Medli watched as Dragonroost island grew smaller and smaller behind them. She heaved a deep sigh as it disappeared at last.

Only the moon illuminated their way. The gentle pulse of the waves whispered below them. An occasional small island drifted past. Of these, Fire Island was the most visible with its peak spewing out occasional bursts of flame.

Shadow Link remained silent. The fairies dozed on Medli's shoulder. Valoo beat further onwards. The minutes flew past. They would be there very soon.

"Ah!" Medli exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the west.

There was a small bright speck in the vast ocean.

"It's fire!" Medli cried. "Something's on fire!"

"It's a ship," Valoo said in his ancient language.

"They must be in trouble!" Medli exclaimed. "Valoo, fly down to them!"

"Hey!" Shadow Link snapped. "We're already going out of our way to find this other guy at the forest place. We don't need any more distractions!"

"We're going to help them!" Medli said firmly. "If you don't want Valoo's help, then jump off and swim to the nearest land!"

"I don't want any of you help!" Shadow Link snarled. "I need a sword!"

"I can help you get one if you stop being such an idiot!"

Valoo banked steeply down and west towards the burning ship. Shadow Link remained silent, fuming. He clenched his fist tightly.

As they drew nearer, they saw that the mast of the ship was blossoming in bright flames that reflected in the ocean.

"I know that ship!" Medli exclaimed. "That's the ship that the pirates have! The pirates that Link and Zelda were sailing with when they left! They might be there now!"

"Link and Zelda were sailing with pirates?" Shadow Link muttered. "That seems pretty low."

"Be quiet! Valoo, we have to help them! I wonder if they have Link and Zelda…"

Valoo dropped lower so that his talons skimmed the tops of the waves. He drew alongside the pirate ship.

One of jumped up on the railing of the ship, waving his arms to get their attetion. It was Gonzo.

"Hey! Help!"

"Valoo, Outset Island is the nearest island with a port, even if it is small. We can try to help them dock there. But is there any way we can put out that fire?"

"I'm a fire-breather myself," Valoo replied in the ancient tongue. "But I might be able to do something. Hold on."

He lowered his head into the ocean and gathered a mouthful of sea water. He flew up above the ship and released the spray of water over the flaming mast. The flames hissed and diminished slightly. Water cascaded down onto the crew, but they didn't complain.

Medli craned her neck over Valoo's shoulders, trying to see if she could see Link or Tetra on the deck. But they weren't there. Where were they?

Valoo repeated his fire-fighting maneuver several more times until the last embers sputtered and died. Then with great caution, the dragon lowered himself behind the boat and gripped the ship's stern with his fore claws. Very slowly he began to flap forwards. The ship began to move in the direction of Outset Island.

It was slow going. It took them about half an hour before they caught sight of Outset Island. But finally they reached the dock and the pirates stepped onto solid land.

Valoo landed on the beach and Medli dropped to the ground. Shadow Link remained stubbornly seated on the dragon's back.

"Are you okay?" Medli asked. "Where are Link and Tetra? I thought they were with you!"

"We were attacked by a big flying monster," Niko wailed.

"We were on our way back from the Ghost Ship when it happened."

"They took Miss Tetra," Gonzo sobbed.

"And Link," Niko added.

"We got most of the way back before the fire spread over our mast."

"It must have been smoldering in the timbers."

"Wait! Stop!" Medli cried in response to the flood of voices. "Link and Tetra are gone? Who attacked you? Where did they go?"

"I don't know," Gonzo moaned. "It was last night when everything was dark. Some creature flew down on us from above. As we were trying to fight it off, there was a struggle on deck and before we realized it, they were gone."

"So you have no idea what happened?" Medli asked.

They all shook their heads as one.

Medli groaneed. "Well, that doesn't give us much to go on."

"Wait," Gonzo said suddenly. "I got a glimpse of the thing that was breathing fire. It was really long and snake-like. It must have been a dragon."

Shadow Link tensed at these words.

"I saw something like that," Niko admitted. "It was hard to see the shapes in the dark . And it did breath fire. But I don't think its fire ever hit the ship. I saw something else shoot fire at us. And then there was ice somehow too. Part of the deck got frosted over. I know because I slipped on it when I was trying to help Link out. By the time I got back up, they were gone."

Medli looked confused. "OK. Thanks for telling us. I wish we could stay to help you, but we have to get moving. We're in a hurry. I'm sure the people here will help you with your ship."

There was the sound of a door being flung open. All of them looked up towards Link's house near the beach. A small form had come from the front door and was running towards them. Aryll.

She waved excitedly to the pirates. She knew them all from when she'd sailed with them.

As she reached the beach, she saw Valoo and her eyes grew very round.

"Ooh! A dragon! That's so cool! Hi everyone! You're back! Is big brother with you? Hi Medli!"

Medli knelt to look face-to-face with Aryll.

"Listen, Aryll. We're going to find your big brother. Don't you worry. We'll bring him back."

"Is big brother lost again?"

Medli smiled and nodded. "Yes."

"Well, tell him when you find him that he should stop getting lost. Someone as big as him shouldn't lose their way."

Medli forced a smile. "I will. Aryll, make sure that these guys are okay. Their ship needs some help too. We need to go find Link."

"Okay! I'll take care of it!"

"Thank you, Aryll."

Medli flew up to land on Valoo's back again. Then Aryll saw Shadow Link. She stared at him, mystified.

Medli was trembling. Link and Zelda were gone. Could they have been captured by Ganon? But Ganon was dead! He had to be…

"See," she muttered, "We learned something valuable there after all. Link and Zelda have vanished."

Shadow Link shrugged. "I'm not surprised. Ganon wants to do things thoroughly this time. If he really can travel through time, or at least send his minion's through time, then I'd bet that all of the Zeldas and Links are in the same danger."

"Then we have to get a move on! Valoo, let's take off!"

"I keep _trying_ to tell you! Ganon's not a pushover. He's tougher now than he should be. And he doesn't want to risk losing again. I need a sword! The Master Sword!"

"We need to rescue the _real_ Link."

Shadow Link was about to respond when Valoo launched off of the beach, spraying sand up around his wings. Only when they were airborne did they notice that the damage to the ship was not limited to the burnt mast. They had been so focused on the fire that they didn't see the large crack in the hull and a large hole smashed in the side.

"What could have done that?" Medli whispered.

Shadow Link was silent for a moment, and then he replied almost inaudibly, "Volvagia."


	5. Blazing Battle

Read this if you want to understand the chapter.

In the Ocarina of Time Manga, there was a part that I liked that wasn't part of the game. It said that while Link was a child, he found a baby dragon for sale at the market, and he bought it. They became friends and the dragon learned to say Link's name. But as Link was dormant for 7 years, Ganondorf took control over this dragon and sent it to ravage a certain mountain in Hyrule. He became Volvagia.

Chapter 5: Blazing Battle

(Make sure you've read the comment at beginning ^-^' )

"We're almost there," Medli announced. "See? That there is the Forest Haven . That's where Makar is."

"It's about time," Shadow Link muttered.

Navi, Tatl, and Tael were all snuggled up on Medli's shoulders, asleep. The bird girl looked a bit sleepy herself.

Valoo tilted his wings and began a slow descent towards the Forest Haven.

Just then, Shadow Link's eyes, perfectly adapted to the dark, picked up something in the distance.

"What is that?" Said Medli at the same moment. She was pointing at Forest Haven. There was an eerie glow hanging over the island. "It can't be… more fire?" she whispered.

"Look out!" Link bellowed.

Valoo swerved to the side as another object shot towards them out of the sky. Medli was shaken loose from the dragon's back. She tumbled several yards downwards before she whipped her wings out and flapped to a halt. Shadow Link had managed to keep his grip on the dragon's neck and Valoo once again righted himself.

The object overshot, but its long, sinewy body easily flipped around to come in for another pass.

Medli hung exposed in the air far below the range of Valoo's protection. She turned and flapped as fast as she could towards the cliffs of Forest Haven.

Luckily their attacker didn't pay her much attention. It was spiraling towards Valoo again.

Shadow Link could now easily see what it was. A dragon. One he recognized only too well. He had killed it only months before. At least his other half had. And yet here it was. Volvagia. Its long, wingless body gave it incredible agility. Its underside glowed with a magma-like brightness while its back was slightly darker. Two black horns curved from its head, and a fiery mane sprouted from between them. Volvagia opened wide his mouth, revealing the blazing inferno within.

Valoo bellowed and turned to charge the opponent dragon. Valoo was bigger and stronger, but his bulk made him slower. Volvagia moved effortless in the air compared to the larger dragon.

"Stop!" Shadow Link shouted. It was in vain. Valoo didn't hear him. He was preparing to meet his opponent in the air.

As the two dragons rocketed towards each other head-on, Shadow Link braced himself. He doubted that he'd be able to hold on, and the nearest thing below him was the ocean, of which the waves appeared no larger than ripples. A fall to water from this height…

At the last moment, Volvagia swerved, soaring barely inches from Valoo's head and twisting over the large dragon's scaly flank. With a slight twist of his long body, Volvagia made straight for Shadow Link.

The shadow boy gave a shout and tried to lean away from the approaching dragon. As he did so, his grip on Valoo's neck failed and he felt himself slipping over the dragon's neck. Shadow Link flailed wildly, reaching for a handhold, but there was nothing in grab. He plummeted away from the two dragons, towards the ocean far below.

As he fell, the force of the wind slammed into him, making his eyes water. He shut them tight and tried to focus. He reached around to grab something round and flat from under his shirt.

As the ocean rushed up towards him, he placed the object onto his face.

Shadow Link shouted in pain as the object took its effect, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. He twirled his altered body around and pointed his arms towards the water.

His aerodynamic body slipped beneath the rolling waves of the Great Sea.

Medli had almost made it to one of the safe ledges of Forest Haven. But something made her stop and turn. She dropped lower to the sea, hiding behind its rising swells and cloaking herself with the cover of night. She watched as two figures flew from the open top of the island.

Meanwhile, far from shore, a sleek head broke the restless surface of the sea.

The fish-like figure huffed for a moment to regain his breath. He'd had the wind knocked out of him from his fall. A long fin sprouted from his head, and flippers fluttered about his elbows. His dolphin-like skin was a deep navy blue and he had long webbed toes. He wore the bottom part of his tunic.

Shadow Link had become a Zora.

He heaved a sigh. "Well, I guess it's good I ran into Skull Kid after all. These masks ended up coming in handy. Though I've never appreciated how painful that transformation is. As a shadow, I never really went through it."

"Well well. A Zora. I haven't seen one in a long time."

Shadow Link spun around in the water to face the person who had spoke.

And he came face to face with a boat. Wait… the boat had a face? Yes. There was a design of a lion head on the prow of the boat. It was a small boat with a sail. But there was no one steering the boat. How strange…

"You're looking in the wrong place," said that same voice.

The Zora Link turned his gaze upwards. Back to the lion head of the boat. It was watching him. Could that be possible?

And then it spoke. The boat spoke.

"What are you waiting for?"

Shadow Link jumped as he realized it was the boat that had been speaking to him. He kicked away from the boat, swimming backwards.

"Come on! Don't you see what's happening!"

Shadow Link hesitated and then followed the boat's gaze as it looked up towards the top of the island. And he saw the two figures rising from the top of Forest Haven.

They weren't large. They were about as big as he was. He squinted, trying to see what they were. They circled over the island for a moment, and then sank lower towards the ocean, skimming over the waves. As they flew away, Shadow Link saw who they were. Two more enemies back from the time whence they'd been defeated. Two witches riding broomsticks. One had fiery red hair, the other icy blue hair. The Twinrova. And the fire one was carrying something: a small round figure that wore a leaf mask.

"Help me!" wailed the little figure. "Heeelp meeeeee!"

As the two Twinrova soared away with their prisoner, a shout made Shadow Link turn again.

"Makar!"

Medli hurtled towards the Twinrova as fast as her wings could carry her. She flew directly over the Zora Link without even seeing him.

As Medli soared over his head, Shadow Link reached up and grabbed her foot, dragging her down into the water. She landed with a splash and submerged, surfacing a moment later and spluttering out the salt water.

But the Twinrova had not seen them. And as they watched, the two witches and Makar flew out of sight.

Medli turned furiously towards Shadow Link, but froze. She'd just noticed that the person who had grabbed her was not human.

"Who are you?" She blurted.

Shadow Link smirked. "Who do you think?"

Medli stared at him for a moment.

"But-but how do you look like that?"

"I have these magical masks see," he said with a falsely airy attitude. "They let me change into other creatures." He gestured with his fin hands to make the whole thing seem stupidly dramatic. "I'm a Zora now."

"What's a Zora? Wait a minute! Why'd you stop me from following them! They have Makar!"

"What would you do if you caught them?"

Medli froze, her mouth open to argue. She slowly closed her beak again.

"Those two are powerful sorcerers. They'd have swatted you aside like a fly. You…"

"WOULD YOU STOP THIS!" Bellowed the boat.

Medli and Shadow Link jumped and looked up to the lion-headed red boat.

"King of Red Lions!" Medli exclaimed. She hadn't gotten a chance to recognize him yet.

"Yes. You can discuss this later. Look up!"

Medli and Shadow Link turned their gaze upwards where Valoo was valiantly keeping Volvagia away from the island. Though how much longer that would last was in question.

Oddly enough, Volvagia didn't seem to be attacking Valoo. He was just dodging.

"We need to stop that dragon from hurting the island anymore!" Medli shouted.

She pulled herself into the lion boat and spread her wings. But her feathers were soaked, and useless for flight until they dried.

Shadow Link growled and dove under the water.

"Wait!" Medli shouted. Get back here!"

The fairies were bobbing nervously over the King of Red Lion's head. Six of them. Six fairies? Medli blinked at them for a moment. Yes, there was Navi, Tatl, and Tael . But what of the other three? There was a blue one, like Navi, a yellow one, and a red one.

There wasn't time to think about that now.

"What do we do?" Medli cried to the lion boat.

"I have a cannon," said the King of Red Lions. "But they are too far away for it to be of use. Let's get you to land. If that other dragon makes its way to Forest Haven, we'll be ready for him. If he gets away… There's not much we can do."

The Lion King's sail billowed out and he aimed for the island.

"Where did Shadow Link go?" Medli whispered.

"Shadow Link?" Repeated the King of Red Lions. "That was Shadow Link? How did you come to be in the company of a Shadow Link?"

"It's a long story."

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to tell it later. Look."

Both of them looked up again.

Valoo had just blasted out fiery breath at Volvagia, but the smaller dragon had easily twisted out of the way. Volvagia seized the opportunity to dart past Valoo. The light from the fire made it harder to see into the dark, and it took Valoo a moment to notice that Volvagia had slipped past him.

Volvagia was coming towards the island.

"Hurry! Aim the cannon!" shouted the King of Red Lions.

Medli jumped towards the cannon and tried to aim it at the dragon that was bearing down on them. They were almost to land, but that didn't matter now.

Suddenly something shot out of the ocean in front of them, sending out a spray of water.

Zora Shadow Link landed lightly on the rail of the boat and swiftly reached up and removed the magic mask. A moment later, he was human again. He threw his arms wide.

"**STOP**!"

Volvagia screeched to a halt just feet from Shadow Link.

Medli and the lion boat watched as boy and dragon stared each other down.

Then Volvagia slowly lowered his head in an expression that could only be described as sorrowful.

"L-Link," said Volvagia.

Medli gaped. Shadow Link new this monster? And that thing could talk!

Shadow Link reached forwards and placed his hand on Volvagia's head.

"You're back, aren't you, "he whispered. "You remember me."

Volvagia slowly nodded.

"That's good. I'm… glad."

Shadow Link's expression had softened ever so slightly.

Medli clenched her fist. Shadow Link was openly "Fraternizing" with an enemy! She knew he couldn't be trusted.

"You jerk!" she squawked, pounding him on the shoulder.

In one swift motion, he turned on her and had both her wrists clenched firmly in his hands.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded coldly.

Was he serious?

"This monster was just attacking Forest Haven! And he helped kidnap Link too! The _real _Link! Not some stupid shadow!"

Shadow Link glared at her. "When you speak like that, I want more than ever just to leave you behind. Why should I justify myself to you?"

"Tell us," demanded the King of Red Lions.

By now, Valoo had gotten it together and was rushing down at them.

"Wait!" Medli called to him. "Wait a minute! But if that other dragon tries anything funny, break his neck!"

Valoo nodded and slowed his flight, hovering nearby.

"Let go of me," said Medli firmly.

Shadow Link glared at her a moment longer, then released his iron grip on her wrists.

"Volvagia isn't an enemy."

"You said yourself that he was the dragon the pirates saw when Link and Tetra were kidnapped!"

"He was there, but he didn't attack. It was those two." He gestured off in the direction the Twinrova had vanished. "They were the ones that set fire to the pirate ship and kidnapped your Link and Tetra. And remember, one of them said that there was ice too? It was definitely them. Volvagia was probably trying to stop them. And the Twinrova were obviously the ones that just kidnapped that little wood creature."

"His name's Makar. But Volvagia helped them! And he attacked us just now!"

"He didn't actually attack." Shadow Link turned to Volvagia. "You were trying to warn us. Weren't you? You were trying to keep us away from the island since the Twinrova were there. You didn't want us to get hurt."

Volvagia nodded.

"But they got Makar because of it!"

"And if we'd arrived, they would have gotten you too. If they're after that other sage, then they'll want you as well. Volvagia just saved your life."

"You could have fought them! You're supposed to be a great hero!"

"I don't have a sword."

Medli fell silent.

"Oh," she whispered softly.

"Are you satisfied?"

Medli slowly nodded.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," said the King of Red Lions, not sounding too sorry, "but we need to get in the Forest Haven and see how much damage was done!"

"That's right!" cried Medli. "The other Koroks may have been hurt! And the Great Deku Tree!"

"The Great Deku Tree?" Shadow Link repeated. "Is he still alive?"

The King of Red Lions pulled up at the small port and Medli jumped onto land, followed by Navi, Tatl, and Tael.

Shadow Link followed them, hands shoved down in his pockets.

Volvagia watched a moment longer and then heaved a deep sigh. He coiled himself around a spire of rock.

Valoo watched his former opponent uncertainly.

As Medli and the fairies hurried up the path to Forest Haven with Shadow Link following, the King of Red Lions turned to Valoo.

"If they have Makar, they will no doubt go to Dragonroost Island next in an attempt to capture Medli. Your people are in danger. You should return. For now, I will keep an eye on them."

Valoo nodded and rumbled a reply in the ancient language. He shot one last glance at Volvagia, and then turned and launched himself back towards Dragonroost.

"May the Wind Gods guide you safely there," Muttered the King of Red Lions. "Let the Rito people remain safe."

The little yellow fairy hovered up next to his head.

"So, that was them, was it?"

"Yes, Ciela. So, we find that the Shadow Hero doesn't yet have a weapon." He turned his head to Volvagia. "And yet, I'm reluctant to find what will happen should he receive a sword. That boy… is very unstable. The Shadow Links have never fought on our side before."

"But he's the only one left, isn't he?" asked the red fairy, Leaf.

"The last of the heroes who hasn't been captured?" added Neri, the blue fairy.

"Possibly. Though it may be that the true hero has yet to show up." The King of Red Lions heaved a deep sigh. "The way our worlds work… is turning over."


	6. The Ancient Tree

I just put up a 1-chapter Harry potter fanfic. Check it out if ya want!

I'm assuming that the Deku Sprout at the end of Ocarina of Time is the same as the Deku Tree in Wind Waker.

For simplicity sake, I am having Shadow Link speak the language of Wind Waker. Though going by the first meeting with the Deku Tree in the game, Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time languages are different and technically they wouldn't be able to understand each other. Ah, it' all so confusing.

Chapter 6: The Ancient Tree

Medli, Shadow Link, and the three fairies made their way up the path to the Forest Haven. As they walked, Medli fanned her wings in an attempt to dry her feathers.

"So, what about those masks?" she asked. "I've never heard of masks that let you transform before."

Shadow Link deliberately didn't reply for several moments. "No. You wouldn't."

"You're so rude!" Navi fumed.

"You could tell her," Tael sighed.

"I'll tell you!" Tatl exclaimed. "There's a special song that can be played on the Ocarina of Time that turns spirits into masks. He also has masks from a Deku Scrub, a Goron, and a…" she didn't get a chance to finish, because at that moment, Shadow Link swept his hat up and caught her inside of it, ramming his hat back onto his head with his prisoner still inside it.

Tatl rang with indignation, but couldn't get out.

"There's no need to do that," Medli scolded, snatching the shadow boy's hat off of his head and releasing Tatl.

Shadow Link snatched his hat back from her and crammed it back on his head again. Then he turned on her.

"Let's get this straight. I don't want you here. Any of you. With the exception of my dragon, which might actually be useful. Can't all of you just _shut up_?"

He turned and stormed up the path again, leaving Medli and the fairies to blink at each other.

"He's very irritable," Navi sighed.

"I've noticed," Medli replied. She started up the path again, shaking her head.

The shadow boy and the bird girl stepped into the Forest Haven.

It was very pretty. Medli had never been inside before. Little Fireflies hovered above the thick grass, and cool water flowed around the inside of the island. In the center of the cavern was a large, ancient tree.

But ash was drifting down from above them. They turned to look up. High above them, one of the branches of the tree was on fire. Small figures were darting about through the air next to the burning branch.

Medli gave a little cry and flapped her wings to get airborne. Her Feathers were still damp, but she managed to wobble higher to join the other figures that were desperately trying to put out the fire. Medli landed on the branch and started beating at the flames with her sash. Eventually the flames were blown out and the branch stopped burning.

The little koroks gave sighs of relief. They hadn't had a way to fight the fire, so they were at a loss. And since they had to hold onto their Deku leaves in order to stay aloft, they couldn't even carry water.

The Koroks drifted down to land exhausted on the ground. Medli fluttered down and alighted next to them, huffing and hot from the fire.

Shadow Link frowned and backed away to a dark corner of Forest Haven. He sat back against the wall.

The Great Deku Tree. He didn't want to see the Great Deku Tree.

Meanwhile, the big tree was moving. The face on the trunk of the tree shifted into a grateful smile.

"Thank you, my Koroks. And you too, Rito girl. Would you be the earth sage?"

Medli nodded. "Yes. I came to find Makar, but it looks like we were too late."

"I'm afraid so. But we were lucky that more damage wasn't done.

Just then, Navi peeked out from behind Medli.

"Ah, little fairy! I recognize you!" Exclaimed the Deku Tree. "You were there with the hero of time when I sprouted!"

Navi bobbed in agreement. "Yes. I'm Navi. I was friends with the Great Deku Tree before you."

"I see. How did you come to be here?"

"We're trying to save Link." Medli said. "And Shadow Link…"

She paused as she realized that Shadow Link was no longer with them.

"Shadow Link?" Repeated the Great Deku Tree sharply.

Medli nodded. "Yeah. He's supposed to help the other Links. Oh, there he is." She'd spotted him sitting alone behind the Deku Tree. "Come over here!"

Shadow Link ignored her.

"Uh, well, he's back there anyway." The Great Deku Tree couldn't turn to see what was behind him, so he had to take Medli's word.

"I see. And what do you plan to do in order to help the heroes?"

The Koroks had all waddled down to the stream to cool themselves off after fighting the fire. Medli too had streaks of soot on her face and on her sash, but she didn't pay them any mind.

"Well," she replied slowly, "I think it's almost morning, isn't it? We can't travel during the day because Shadow Link says he can't handle the light. So whatever we do will have to wait until next sunset."

"And you're traveling with Shadow Link?"

Medli nodded. "Yes. Me and these three," she indicated the fairies.

"We're keeping an eye on him!" Tael finished.

"I see. Perhaps that's best," sighed the tree. "But do you know what you're going to do next? Where are the prisoners are being held? The heroes and the princesses?"

The way he spoke made it sound as though many of the Links and Zeldas were already held prisoner. Medli hoped that that wasn't true.

"I don't know," Medli admitted. "Actually, I don't know what we're going to do next. Shadow Link says he wants to find the Master Sword to fight Ganondorf."

"I'm sure Ganon will expect that to be your target," said the Deku Tree. "He's sure to have taken every precaution to keep you from it. And the Master Sword might not even accept Shadow Link. And the Master Sword that exists in this time is at the bottom of the ocean."

"But Shadow Link can swim!" Medli exclaimed. "I saw him turn into a Zora. Like the earth sage before me."

"The Master Sword cannot be moved, even if it can be reached," replied the Deku Tree.

"Oh. Then what do we do?"

The Great Deku Tree was silent for a moment as he thought. "If the Master Sword is truly your goal, then you will need to travel to a different time. Since you are here," he nodded to Navi, "I assume that you came here from the past?"

Navi nodded. "Yes. The Ocarina of Time brought us here."

"We thought that meant that there was something here that we needed to find," Tael cried. "And we can't even get a sword here."

"That's not entirely true. I'm sure the Ocarina brought you here for a reason. For example, you joined them, Medli. And didn't you learn anything while you were here?"

"Well, I suppose. And Shadow Link found a dragon."

"A dragon?" Repeated the Deku Tree.

"Yeah. I guess. If it does turn out to be a good dragon, he'll be helpful to have. Especially since Shadow Link seems to like the dragon."

"He sure doesn't like us," Tael pouted.

"You should find some sort of weapon," the Deku Tree said thoughtfully. "It may take a while to find the Master Sword, so until then, you'll need something to defend yourself with. But I think you should leave as soon as possible. "You can find a sword at the next place you stop. We don't have anything like that around here. And since those witches were just here to kidnap Makar, they won't think to look here to find you, Medli. You should be safe until nightfall. But it might not take them long to find out that you're in this era. The first thing tonight, you should play the ocarina and travel to a different time. Until then, rest. You'll need it."

Medli nodded.

Now that things had calmed down, she took the time to greet the little Koroks.

Shadow Link stared with disdain at the little woody creatures wearing their leaf masks. Koroks. These were the Kokiri. He could tell. The Kokiri had become these strange little wood creatures? Pfa. His other self had been raised with the Kokiri. Like everything else he knew from his life, this had changed.

It had all changed.

He turned away. He didn't want any of this. He just wanted… to be left alone. Alone. Go away. He could handle this on his own! Why didn't anyone believe him?

"I finally get out of that stupid shadow, and I'm stuck doing this," he mumbled to himself.

Dawn was indeed coming. Shadow Link felt it. He huddled deeper into the shadows and sighed.

Medli had curled up in the grass and gone to sleep. The koroks wandered off to prepare food for their guests.

A few hours later, Medli awoke. She ate some breakfast and wrote a letter. As she went to deposit it in the mailbox, she sat by the ocean to speak with the King of Red Lions. Tatl and Tael accompanied her, but Navi remained behind with Shadow Link.

The King of Red Lions introduced Medli to Ciela, Leaf, and Neri.

"We come from a different dimension," Ciela explained. "But we left because we heard that there was trouble going on outside."

"We came from a different dimension too," Tatl said. "Skull Kid brought us out so we could help Shadow Link."

"But Shadow Link doesn't like us," Tael said again.

"I wish I could go with you," said the King of Red Lions. "But I obviously can't leave the water. And I don't think the oceans are as extensive in the past. But I have some information that you should hear. You may need to know everything that you can.

"What about the dragon?" Asked Medli, turning to where Volvagia was dozing on the cliffs.

"I don't think he'll turn on you. That dragon may even end up being very useful."

"What about us?" Ciela demanded. "Are we going to go with them?"

"I don't think Shadow Link will like that idea," Medli sighed. "He's already annoyed with Navi, Tatl, and Tael. Though _I_ don't mind if you come along."

"We have powers too," Leaf added.

"Yes, we can increase defense and sword power," Neri said.

"How does Shadow Link know Volvagia?" asked the King of Red Lions.

"I don't know," Medli admitted. "Navi probably would, but she's still inside."

"I'll go get her!" And without another word, Tatl zoomed off to swap places with Navi.

Navi arrived a minute later.

"You want to know about Volvagia?"

All of them nodded.

"Ok. You know the tale, right? How Link was sealed for seven years so that he'd be old enough to fight Ganondorf? See, when Link was a kid, he found a baby dragon for sale, and he bought it. He really liked that dragon, but when he was sealed away for seven years, Ganondorf took control over him and used him to terrorize Death Mountain. Volvagia was manipulated, and Link was forced to kill him to save the Gorons. It hurt him a lot to do that. But it looks like the time stream was altered, what with Ganondorf traveling through time to capture anyone who might oppose him. And the Twinrova are supposed to be dead too. We may very well run across more monsters and other people who aren't supposed to be alive. But either way, I'm pretty sure that the Volvagia we have now is the one that is still good. Probably Shadow Link relates to him because Volvagia too was once considered… evil."

Meanwhile, back inside Forest Haven, a Korok had approached Shadow Link with a plate of food. Shadow Link glared at the Korok until he became nervous and set the plate of food down, rushing away.

"You don't need to be so unpleasant," Tatl chided. "You're so mean to everyone!"

"Shut up."

"Hmph. Do you not like the koroks or something?"

"You should have seen them when they were still Kokiri. They were better then."

Tatl turned to look at the little Koroks. "Aw, I think they're cute."

A few minutes later, another Korok approached, carrying a folded piece of cloth that was as large as he was.

"The Great Deku Tree thought this would be helpful," said the little korok.. "It belonged to another traveler who passed through here. It might let you go out during light."

He set the folded fabric down on the ground next to the empty plate of food.

Shadow Link stared at it for a while, then picked it up and let it flop open. It was a long, hooded cloak.

"Hmph. It might keep the sun off a bit, but I'd still rather travel at night."

"Yes, but if we have to do something in daylight, then that cloak will come in handy. Keep it," Tatl ordered.

Shadow Link shrugged and dropped beside him. "Whatever."


	7. Land of Five Links

The visit to the land of the Four Swords is a bit shorter than they expect, but at least Shadow-Link gets something out of it.

That was a pretty cool game. The Four Swords.

Chapter 7: Land of Five Links

Shadow Link didn't move for the rest of the day. He remained in the same spot, apparently asleep.

"He's probably nocturnal," Tael whispered to Navi and Tatl.

Medli and the fairies made themselves productive during their stay at Havenwood. They talked with the Koroks and the Great Deku Tree. The Deku Tree had a lot to tell them about the tales of past Links. Medli listened intently. They would need to know as much as they could.

When night Fell, the Koroks accompanied the Rito girl, the shadow boy, and the three fairies out to where Volvagia was waiting.

The King Of Red Lions was still moored at the dock with the three fairies. Ciela, Leaf, and Neri would be remaining in their own time to try to help out in their own way.

Volvagia drifted down between Medli and Shadow Link. The three fairies clung to Medli's shirt.

Shadow Link reached into his pocket and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. He shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and then began to play.

The ocarina let out a dark, haunting sound, different from its usual tone but still beautiful. Shadow Link's fingers drifted over the notes to the Song of Time.

The Koroks watched in fascination as the group was caught up in the spell.

The notes from the Ocarina seemed to solidify and hang in the air about the six travelers. As Shadow Link hit the last note of the song, all of them disappeared.

For several moments, the Koroks stared at the spot where Medli and Shadow Link had disappeared. The King of Red Lions sighed and looked away. Leaf, Neri, and Ciela alighted on his sail. Even though Shadow Link was gone, there was still a lot of work to do.

Shadow Link's group found themselves at the edge of a large field. The sun had just vanished and a dim light remained in the sky. Across the field, they could see a city with a beautiful palace towering over it. The last light of the sun was brushing the highest spikes of the towers, making them glow like jewels.

Medli gazed around at the field that was awash in the light from the setting sun.

"Wow. There's so much empty space."

"That's cause you only have small islands without big fields. But Hyrule Field is much bigger than this patch of weeds."

Shadow Link turned to a cluster of trees and strode into their midst.

Volvagia silently coiled up in the branches of one of the trees and released a sigh.

"Your dragon seems sad," Medli noted as she followed Shadow Link.

He ignored her.

"So… where do you think we are? Or, I guess, _when_ do you think we are?"

"How should I know? You stay here. I'm going into town to get a weapon."

Without another word, he flung his cloak over himself and strode away across the field

"Hey, wait!" Medli called after him.

"I'll go after him," Tatl sighed. She zoomed after him and fluttered in front of his face.

"Someone has to keep an eye on you! Where are you going?"

"I just said. Buzz off," Growled Shadow Link."

"You're so obnoxious!" The white fairy fumed. "Why do you have to be so mean to everyone! We've all been trying to be nice! Especially Medli, but I've had it with your temper!"

Shadow Link tilted his head slightly towards Tatl and gave her a twisted smirk.

Tatl froze, allowing Shadow Link to get several paces ahead of her. Tatl gave a start and rushed to catch up with him.

She didn't say anything else, but followed silently in the wake of the shadow boy. As they neared the city, she dove into his cloak to hide.

Shadow Link paused at the gates to the city and glanced up at the towering castle. It was Hyrule Castle, though not the one that he was familiar with.

Shadow Link twitched the hood of his cloak so that it hid his face. Then he strode into the city.

Even though the sun had set, there was still plenty of activity in the city.

Shadow Link glanced here and there, trying to find a place to get a weapon.

Before he knew it, he was at the front gates of Hyrule Castle. Two guards stood to either side of the gate, each with a hilted sword at their belt.

"Hey," he said to the guard, peering at him from under his cloak. "I need a sword. Where do I get one?"

"A sword?" repeated the guard. "What's the need? Are you a soldier? A warrior? Or perhaps even a hero?"

"Maybe," Shadow Link replied, studying his fingers nonchalantly.

"To which one?"

"What's it to ya?"

"The princess goes and the best swordsman in the realm go missing, and you think I'm gonna tell some suspicious-looking character where to get a weapon? Why don't you pull your hood off if ya got nothing to hide."

"Best swordsman?" Shadow Link said coolly. "Tell me about him."

"You don't know?"

It was the second soldier that had replied. He stepped over to Shadow Link. "Link, or course! You haven't heard about the Four Sword? How he drew the sword and split into four? And the four Links fought Vaati the wind mage and Shadow Link."

Shadow Link jerked his head up sharply. The unintended result was that his hood fell back, revealing his face.

The two soldiers reeled back in shock.

"Alarm! Alarm! The Shadow is back! Alert the guard! Drive him away!"

Shadow Link slammed his elbow into the stomach of the nearest soldier, sending him to his knees with a soft "oof."

The second soldier drew his sword and charged. Shadow Link slid out of the way like a vapor and slammed down at the back of the second soldier's head so that he too fell to the ground.

Rushing footsteps told Shadow Link that guards were approaching from within the castle walls.

Shadow Link turned to run but found his way blocked by other warriors approaching from the city side. He was surrounded.

In a white streak, Tatl shot out of his cloak and away from Hyrule Castle.

Shadow Link cursed. As the dozen or so guards closed in on him, he unclipped one of the masks from his belt and placed it over his face.

He let out a growl of pain and doubled over. The soldiers slowed their pace and stared as Shadow Link began to change and grow.

The Shadow Goron stood there a moment later. Dark and ominous, he raised his huge fist and brought it crashing down on the ground, making the earth tremble.

The guards hesitated until one of them rushed forwards. The others followed suit.

The Goron rolled into a ball and the first of the sword blows glanced off his rock-hard back. Then he exploded out of his protective shell and bowled through several of his opponents before they formed a line of spears to block his progress.

Shadow Link again rolled up into a ball and began to spin. He shot forwards across the ground, rolling towards the guards. They dove aside, but some of them used their shields to slam into the Goron's side. The force of the blow caused Shadow Link to turn and slam directly into the wall of the castle.

He flopped backwards, stunned slightly. The guards closed on him, taking advantage of his momentary weakness.

Shadow Link pulled the mask off his face and changed back into a human. As he shrank in size, he dove between two of the soldiers and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of a dropped sword.

With a smirk, he turned to face the remaining seven opponents.

A burst of flame illuminated the air and the soldiers cried out. Volvagia descended from the sky, scattering Hyrule's guard.

Medli was on the dragon's back, accompanied by the fairies.

"I brought help," Tatl announced.

"I didn't ask for it!" Shadow Link snarled. "I was just taking these guys out!"

"They're on our side, you nitwit!" Navi shouted.

"Tell that to them!"

"Just get on the dragon!" Tael screeched.

Shadow Link jumped onto Volvagia's back behind Medli, and the dragon took to the sky.

"Play the song! Get us out of here!"

"But we just got here!"

"Do it anyway!"

"Shut up! Stop ordering me around!"

"Do _something_!"

"My hands are full! I'm holding a sword!"

"You got a sword?"

"What's it look like?"

"Let me touch it!"

"No, Tael!"

"Put the sword away and play the song!"

"OK! Just be quiet!"

Fuming, Shadow Link hooked the sword to his belt and once again played the ocarina.


	8. Opening and Shutting

So, Shadow Link kind of opens up a little bit to his dragon, but that doesn't last long, unfortunately. He also gets to use his new sword for the first time. May be good or bad depending on the circumstances.

And Volvagia's speech is confusing. Shadow Link can kind of connect with him though, so he sort of gets what's going on. Even if we might not…

Chapter 8: Opening and Shutting

"So, when was that?" Medli asked once they'd safely landed in a different time period. "I mean, what time period, do you think?"

"The Four Sword? What the heck is that?" Shadow Link demanded, flopping down to sit against a tree. They had emerged in a shady, deserted forest. "The guard said that the Link of that time used the Four Sword to become four people? That's really weird. Four of me running around?"

"That would be hard on all of us," Tatl muttered. "Having four of you. Luckily it wasn't _you_ that got split into four."

"Shut up!"

Tatl dodged Shadow Link's flying hat. She continued, "They also said that there was a Shadow Link in this time. They recognized him, which is why they attacked."

"Shadow Link doesn't really turn up too much in the old legends," Medli said thoughtfully. "I think that was the main time that he really was around."

"Nope. There was definitely one in my time. I guess that might have been Dark Link though. It weren't me."

"Is there a difference between Shadow Link and Dark Link?" Tael asked.

Shadow Link didn't respond.

"So, the next question is, when and where are we now," Medli sighed. "And what do we do next?

"The last stop didn't seem to bring us anywhere useful," Tatl murmured. "Are you sure the ocarina isn't just bringing us random places?"

Shadow Link deliberately didn't respond for several moments. "The first time I used it, it opened a passage between seven years. Then it let me relive the same three days over and over. This time, it's bringing me through centuries. It's never done that before. It should be doing it for a reason. Besides, I got a sword at the last stop."

"You with a sword isn't going to be fun," Tatl grumbled.

They lapsed into silence, and Medli eventually fell asleep.

Shadow Link stood and walked over to where Volvagia was coiled around a tree.

With a groan, the shadow boy sank down next to his dragon. He gave a weary sigh and glanced over to where Medli and the fairies were snuggled together, dozing.

Shadow Link scuffed the ground with his boot.

"How annoying," he grumbled to Volvagia. "People are annoying. They insist on watching over me like some sniveling child. Why can't the 2 of us just go and try to find the sword? I'd rather stay with you."

He patted Volvagia's head. The dragon sighed and shut his eyes, enjoying the attention. He gave a nod of understanding.

"You and me," Shadow Link muttered. "One and the same, huh? Both un-trusted. Both used as pawns. Pawns on both sides, it seems."

"Mmm," the dragon grumbled sadly.

"So," Shadow Link continued, "I thought you were dead. And the Twinrova too. So how are you here?"

"Ah," The dragon muttered, but he said no more.

"You can't speak fluent Hylian, can you?" Shadow Link asked. "Just some words. Well, anyway, I'll try to ask yes or no questions. So, did Ganon come to a time before you died and catch you in a time stream?"

Volvagia paused, then slowly shook his head.

"So, not that simple, huh?"

Volvagia shook his head.

"So that means you have memories… of our fight?"

Volvagia nodded.

Shadow Link sighed. "Could it be that he brought you back from the dead?" If that were true… that would be terrifying. The fact that Ganon could bring monsters back from the dead…

Volvagia shook his head fiercely.

"No. OK, that's good. So, do you know how you came to be here?"

Volvagia paused.

"Mistake," he said slowly.

"They took you as a mistake?"

Volvagia nodded.

"Well, I'm not too surprised. I was surprised to find you in the future at all, obviously, but I'm not surprised that it was a mistake. Since… you're not really all that bad, huh?"

The dragon nudged Shadow Link. Shadow Link scratched behind the dragon's horns.

"So, it was a mistake. They didn't bring you back from the dead and they didn't take you before you died. So what did they do? How?"

"Yes."

"Yes to what?"

"Second."

"The second one? That they took you before you fought me? But you just said that they didn't do that. That you had memories of our fight."

Volvagia slowly nodded.

Shadow Link could understand what he meant. "It's not really either, but it's closer to that one? Well, that one sounds more logical. Besides, the flow of time is messed up. I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. The Triforce, again, huh? I don't get that guy. What's his problem? Why can't he just leave us alone?"

He slammed his fist into the ground, gritting his teeth. "I hate him," he growled.

He suddenly jumped up to his feet, startling Volvagia.

Shadow Link shoved his hands into his pockets and paced around, agitated. He kicked a nearby tree trunk, which made his foot hurt. He ignored the pain and continued pacing. Volvagia watched him uncertainly.

Then the dragon's head snapped up and around, staring intently at something off in the forest.

Shadow Link froze in mid-step and turned to face the same direction.

He could hear it: the tramping of feet. A lot of feet. And what sounded like the grating and clanking of armor.

Medli stirred slightly, the noise disturbing her in her sleep. The three fairies awoke and glanced this way and that.

Medli began to move.

Instantly, Shadow Link leapt forwards and used one arm to pin her arms to her sides and the other to press her beak shut.

Understandably, Medli began to thrash wildly under this unexpected attack as she tried to break free.

"Shut up!" Shadow Link said in a silent hiss.

Medli calmed down slightly and Shadow Link let go of her.

"What," she mouthed, looking very annoyed at her rude awakening.

Shadow Link jabbed his thumb in the direction of the stomping, armor-wearing group that was approaching.

Tatl, Tael, and Navi fluttered up higher into the branches of the tree to see what they could see.

Tatl zoomed back down again.

"There's a path. A bunch of guys in armor are walking along it. They have a girl with them. She's unconscious."

Shadow Link nodded. He turned to Medli. "Sit up in that tree there," he whispered, "so you're out of the way."

"What?"

But he had already gone. Silent as a shadow, he wound his way through the trees and bushes until he was crouched in the shade of a thick shrub. A narrow path wound through the trees in front of him. A troop of men covered in heavy mail was trudging along the path. There were about seven of them. Link could tell that they weren't friendly.

Two of the soldiers in the middle of the line were carrying something between them. As they drew closer to Link, he saw what it was. They were carrying a sort of litter with a girl lying on it. She was unconscious. She was also very pretty. Her long red hair cascaded over the side of the litter, swaying gently with the motion of the two soldiers carrying her. She wore a pretty one-piece outfit. It was sleeveless and reached down to her knees.

"Are you going to help her?"

Shadow Link fairly jumped out of his skin as the voice whispered in his ear. He cursed Navi's existence and made a swipe at her, but she dodged.

Shadow Link sank behind the bush, away from the dark knights. The two carrying the girl were about to draw even with him.

He reached for his sword, and in one fluid motion brought it lashing out. He severd the trunk of the bush that was in front of him and sprang forwards.

The warriors buzzed with confusion and the two carrying the litter dropped it.

Shadow Link stepped up to them, and all of the warriors turned to stare at him. In their moment of hesitation, Shadow Link struck.

He struck the helmet from the head of one of the warriors. But there was no head beneath it. The armor was empty. These knights were hollow, controlled by evil spirits.

Shadow Link swung his sword, neatly cleaving another suit of armor.

The remaining five finally rushed forwards to attack.

Shadow Link whirled around in a spin attack, denting the nearest three soldiers. He sliced off one of the empty arms, and then cut through the joints of a metal leg. With each hole made in the armor, there was a hissing sound and a dark vapor poured out – the dark spirit dissipating. Link plunged his blade into the chest of another knight, and it too collapsed.

The last two soldiers charged forwards blindly, drawing long serrated swords.

Shadow Link raised his sword and blocked the attack of the knight that reached him first. He backed away and swung out his foot, catching the legs of the enemy. It crashed sideways into the other remaining knight and Shadow Link stepped forwards and knocked their helmets loose. The final two suits of armor collapsed, lifeless.

Silence rang through the forest after the last blow fell.

Medli sat in the branches of a tree, trembling.

The pieces of armor lay scattered about the trail.

The girl they held prisoner had fallen from the litter and was on the forest floor. She still wasn't moving, but she had escaped damage from the battle.

Shadow Link examined his sword with mild interest. "Hmm. Not as sharp or sturdy as I would have hoped. Yeah, I can see it's already chipped here and here. And the metal dulled the blade. I'm used to higher quality weapons. But it at least got the job done." He sheathed the stolen sword.

Medli slowly dropped down from the tree and walked hesitantly up to Shadow Link.

Shadow Link suddenly rounded on Navi. "And YOU! Don't you dare sneak up on me again! So now what? We have this girl. What do we do with her?"

"We should get her off the trail," Medli suggested.

"And we should get out of here," Tatl added. "In case they come back."

"Good luck with that." Shadow Link turned and strode away to their "camp."

"Wait!" Medli called. "I can't lift her myself!"

The girl was older than Link, and so larger than the bird girl.

Volvagia slid through the trees and hovered there uncertainly.

"Can you help me?" Medli asked the dragon.

Volvagia nodded. He lowered himself next to the girl and Medli pushed the unconscious figure onto the dragon's neck. Navi, Tatl, and Tael tried to help some, but they were so small that this hardly made any difference .

Finally they succeeded and Volvagia carried the girl back to camp. Medli and the fairies followed.


	9. The Oracles

As a quick note, I usually don't mind spiders. They are helpful little bugs that eat other bugs for us and spin pretty webs. Though there are some circumstances where I prefer spiders weren't involved… such as them crawling across your face at night… Yeah. Not pleasant.

The Oracles

As usual, Shadow Link sat away from Medli. He ignored both her and the girl he had just rescued.

Medli wondered why Shadow Link had helped this girl at all. Could it be that he wasn't as bad as he was letting on? Then again, he may have just wanted to pick a fight with those armored creeps.

Medli waited for the girl to wake up. She started a fire and began to cook lunch. Tael buzzed around the flames, enjoying the warmth. Tatl and Tael handed ingredients to Medli as she prepared their meal.

The sunlight cast the dappled shadows through the leaves. As a breeze flew through the forest, the speckled shadows danced around. The wind touched the unconscious girl's face, and she finally stirred and sat up.

Medli jumped to her feet. "Oh! You're up!" she cried. "Are you OK?"

The girl looked rather surprised to see a half bird, half human, but she didn't say anything about it.

"Did you help me?" she asked.

"Oh, it wasn't me," Medli said, holding her hands up. "It was him, actually." She pointed to the dark shape sitting behind a tree.

The girl smiled. "Well, thank you. My name's Din."

"Din?" Medli exclaimed. "Like the goddess?"

"Well, I'm named after her, but I'm not a goddess." Din laughed. "Actually, I'm an oracle. The Oracle of Seasons."

Medli's eyes widened. "Really?"

Din nodded, then her expression became somber. "They actually caught the other two Oracles, Nayru and Farore. I'm not sure where they've been taken though…"

Medli nodded sadly. "Yeah. Ganon's been catching so many people…"

Din glanced up, startled. "Ganon? He's behind this? But he's dead!"

Medli sighed. "I thought so too. Hey, listen. We're actually here from another time. I'm from the future. A long time in the future."

Din nodded. "Since I'm good friends with the Oracle of Ages, that's not too difficult for me to believe. But I don't suppose she's the one who helped you travel through time?"

Medli shook her head. "No. We have an ocarina that brings up places. A magic ocarina."

"The ocarina of the royal family?" Din asked.

Medli nodded.

"What are you searching for that you need to travel through time?"

Medli hesitated. "I guess… to find the Master Sword, or rescue Link – at least one of the Links – and get rid of Ganon again. Uh, not necessarily in that order. But we should do at least one of those three. And since he," Medli gestured to Shadow Link, "is probably the last Link left, I guess we have to rely on him."

"Link?" Din repeated. "A Link from another time with black hair and dark clothes?"

"Well, actually, he's Shadow Link."

"Shadow Link," Din repeated. "Hmm." She sounded neither startled, frightened, nor confused. That was a first. Most people, when they heard that this was Shadow Link, responded in one of those three ways.

Medli offered Din some of their food. She gratefully accepted. Medli told her everything that had happened so far.

Volvagia had just returned from hunting. Shadow Link sat away from the flickering light of the fire. He didn't eat much.

"It's good," Tael said softly "that he sits quietly so much of the time. It means he's not being mean to us."

Tatl gave a soft ring of laughter.

"I wonder if we have to do anything else here," Medli murmured. "I thought maybe the ocarina was bring us places on purpose. Except nothing really happened the last place we went. We just arrived, and then had to leave really fast. Except Shadow Link got a sword, but he could get a sword anywhere. It's not even a special sword or anything."

Din shook her head. "You should always include the possibility that you _didn't _fulfill what you were supposed to. That you left before you should have."

Medli flinched. "I hope not. But if so, I wonder if we can go back."

"I don't know. Traveling through time… can be very tricky. And very dangerous. That's what Ganon has done, and it's destroyed the fabric of time itself. That's the only reason that those who are dead are alive once again. That's why Volvagia is here. Time is torn, and things are as they should not be. We have to be careful not to contribute further to these rips in the fabric of time." She sighed. "I wish Nayru were here. She could tell us more about it."

"I wonder if we could go back in time before Link was captured, and then stop it from happening in the first place," Navi piped up hopefully.

Din shook her head. "Only if you had very exact control over time. It seems like you can't control where the ocarina takes you."

"Maybe we shouldn't use the ocarina to escape sticky situations," Tatl suggested. "We should wait until we're sure we have what we need before we move on."

"A good idea," Din agreed, "though it will be hard to know if there's anything we've missed. We're talking about very large countries that Link may have taken weeks to explore."

"But there's a lot of us," Navi suggested. "And we can fly too."

"Time travel is really confusing," Medli groaned, sinking her head into her arms.

There was a stirring from the bushes. They looked up in time to see Shadow Link getting to his feet. He turned his head this way and that, as though looking for something.

"What is it?" Din asked.

Shadow Link didn't respond, but his hand slowly slid to the hilt of his sword.

Everyone noticed this gesture and became very tense.

Volvagia gave a deep grumbling in his throat and his claws scraped grooves into the tree he was twined in.

Suddenly, something huge exploded through the bushes.

Shadow Link dove to the side and rolled to escape the huge thing.

It was a massive spider. Its pincers snapped, and its eight bristly legs waved menacingly.

Medli shrieked and she jumped behind a tree trunk. Din stood tensely.

Volvagia snarled and clamped jaws down on one of the spider's legs, twisting furiously. The spider gave a screeching sound and lashed out with another leg, catching Volvagia a massive blow on the head. Volvagia slipped out of the tree and flopped to the ground, getting tangled in a thick bush.

Shadow Link swept out his sword, cleaving through one of the legs.

The spider let out a hissing shriek and lashed out again, using a leg to pin Shadow Link to the trunk of a tree by his neck. The sword went flying from his hand and he reached up to try to pull the spider arm from him. He coughed, unable to draw a breath.

The spider's head drew closer to him, clacking its pincers. It was going to bite.

The spider suddenly let out a horrible shriek, rearing back and letting Shadow Link fall to the ground. Gasping, he scrambled around, searching for his sword. But it had gone.

He looked up at the spider to see why it had suddenly released him. Medli had taken his sword, and flown up behind the spider, driving the blade into the spider's abdomen. She pulled it free as the spider whirled around, shaking her off its back. She dropped the sword. Shadow Link grabbed his weapon again and dashed in beneath the spider's belly to strike.

Volvagia finally pulled himself free from the vines entangling him. He swooped over the spider, blasting flames down on it. With a two-front attack, the spider hissed and took several scuttling steps backwards.

Shadow Link wasn't about to let his quarry escape. He charged in again, raising his sword. With a shout, he launched himself forwards and the spider's head fell to the ground. The huge body collapsed with a loud crash.

Medli gave a horrified sound and covered her face. Din turned away. The fairies had already hidden in Medli's sash.

"Spiders are creepy," Medli whispered.

Shadow Link wiped his sword on a patch of grass as calmly as if he'd just swatted away a little garden spider. Volvagia gave a little puff of smoke at the lifeless spider body, as if to say, "so there."

Medli didn't expect a thank-you from Shadow Link, so she wasn't at all surprised that he said absolutely nothing. But Din put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Well done. Both of you."

"Didn't see you helping at all," Shadow Link muttered under his breath.

Din sighed.

Volvagia suddenly turned towards them and gave a rumbling sound. He gestured off into the forest. The others followed his gaze. To their horror, they saw a dark wave of spiders coming towards them. They weren't as big as this one, but the smallest was the size of a large dog. There were at least 100 of them.

"I think it's time to leave," said Shadow Link, sheathing his sword and reaching for the Ocarina of Time.

"Hang on!" Medli exclaimed. "We need to see if there's anything else we have to do here!"

"You'd better get over here if you want to come." He began to play.

Medli and Din hurried to his side as he began to play the Song of Time. Volvagia swooped down towards them.

But they'd misjudged the speed that the spiders were moving at. Link was only about half way through the song when the spiders were upon them.

Volvagia turned and spat fire at the scuttling attackers, but there were so many that it made no difference.

Medli screamed as a sticky thread fell over her, tangling her up.

One spider the size of a horse fell on Din. She had no weapons, but she moved with the ease of a dancer, slipping out from between the spider legs and kicking her attacker to knock it off balance.

The three fairies darted out of Medli's sash, flying at the eyes of the spiders to confuse them. One backed away from Medli as it swatted at Navi instead.

Despite their efforts to stay together, they were being pulled further apart.

Shadow Link continued to play the Ocarina, despite spider silk twining around his ankles. Just as he blew out the last note of the song, a spider jumped at him, knocking him over. He dropped the ocarina and it bounced away. He gave a shout and reached for it, but the spell was settling over them. The spiders and the forest faded away, leaving Shadow Link momentarily suspended in the void of time travel.

The spell faded, leaving Shadow Link standing on the side of a barren, rocky mountain.

The ocarina was gone, and Medli, Din, Volvagia and the fairies were nowhere in sight.


	10. Scattered

So, there's a gap in my story coming up. If anyone has any ideas that they want to suggest, I'm interested to hear them! I'll see if I can fit some stuff in, from different games. If there's an awesome place, or character, you like ex. I've played most of the Zelda games, but not all, so I'll know most of the stuff.

I originally wanted to have this chapter be in the Spirit Tracks realm, but there wasn't much there that I really wanted to hit. So, instead, I took ya all to my favorite realm. Some of you which one that is already. ^-^

Man, I didn't quite mean to make Shadow Link so mean to Navi. Ah, he's in a very bad mood…

Chapter 10: Scattered

Medli groaned. She hadn't realized that she'd been knocked unconscious. She was lying on her back with something hard and flat beneath her. Definitely not a forest floor.

She sat up quickly, remembering the spiders.

But there were no spiders in sight. And she definitely wasn't in a forest anymore.

But even worse, none of her companions were in sight. There was no one around at all.

Trembling slightly, she glanced around. She'd never seen this place in her life. It looked like she was near a temple of some sort. Strange elevated tile pathways criss-crossed between the network of buildings. Some were elevated on platforms, above the other buildings. There were large bulb-like plants that were hovering in the air. And there was a strong breeze.

Medli stood up, brushing some of the sticky spider web off of her. It was still wrapped around her legs, and it was hard to get it off.

She felt something touch her shoulder and looked down. Tael was sitting there, shivering.

"You're here!" Medli exclaimed.

Tael gave a feeble nod. "Yeah. I think when Shadow Link played the Song of Time, we all got separated. But I grabbed your shirt just I time."

"That's good. At least we didn't lose everyone. But where, I mean, _when _are we? Where are the others? And are they in this time with us? I hope we didn't all get sent to different times." The gravity of that statement struck her. "We might never get home. And we might never stop Ganon!"

"Don't say that," Tael moaned. "I don't wanna be stuck here!"

Medli's eye suddenly caught something blue lying in a patch of weeds. She bent and picked it up. "It's the Ocarina of Time!" she gasped. "I wonder if it will work for me. We could use it to find the others! But I think it only works for certain people. And besides, I don't know how to play an ocarina."

"Me either," Tael agreed. "I never got to touch it. Even though I know how the song sounds.

A fierce gust of wind rushed past, lifting Medli off of her feet. She was to the edge of the platform, where she gripped the ledge tightly and stabilized herself. As she peered over the ledge, she suddenly felt very weak. There wasn't ground beneath the platform. Only cloud.

This temple was floating in the sky.

…

Din gazed at the forest around her. It was most definitely a different forest than she'd been in moments before. And there were no spiders. And she didn't see Shadow Link, Medli, or Volgagia anywhere. Only Tatl was left, hovering in front of her, at a loss for words.

"I think," Din said at last, "that our time travel got broken."

"No kidding," Tatl gasped at last. "Shoot! Stupid Shadow Link! We told him not to do that! I almost wish we were still with the spiders instead of… nowhere! I know I've never been here before!"

"Nor I."

"Hee hee hee! I know where you are!"

The two of them looked up to see a child leap down from the branch of a tree. He was dressed in a strange red and green outfit and wore a high red hat.

"Skull Kid!" Tatl exclaimed. "You're here! How are you here? This isn't Termina, is it? Maybe Hyrule?"

"Yeah, it's Hyrule," said Skull kid, leaping up onto a tree stump. "But not the one you know. It's been a long time since _you _were in Hyrule, Tatl. I brought you there to help Shadow Link!"

"So you _are _the Skull Kid I know, right?"

"Maybe. Like I said, that was a long time ago. But in the Lost Woods, time is different."

"Time, time! It's always time! I'm getting sick of it!" Tatl exclaimed. "Why can't time just move forwards normally?"

"Why do you think time moves forwards?" Skull Kid asked, scuffing his shoe on the tree stump. His eyes gleamed at them.

"We're in the Lost Woods? Would you mind telling us _when_ we are?" Din asked.

"Yes, I mind. I don't know what year it is."

"Why not?" Tatl fumed. "Cause time isn't normal in the Lost Woods?" she scoffed.

"That's right."

"Then do you know what events took place during this time that may have been related to the hero clad in green?"

"If you mean Link, why don't you say so?" Skull Kid asked.

"Answer the question!" Tatl exclaimed.

"You should ask nicely," Skull Kid taunted.

"He just wants to play games," Din said calmly. But she smiled up at him. "Will you please tell us?"

"I'll tell the pretty girl instead of the cranky fairy," Skull Kid said.

"What!" Tatl shouted, outraged. She would have flown at Skull Kid, but Din held her hand up and Tatl reluctantly settled on her shoulder.

"Not long ago," Skull Kid recited, "All of Hyrule was plunged into darkness. This kid wearing green traveled around, trying to return the light to the realm. To clear Hyrule of its endless _twilight_."

…

Volvagia twisted his head this way and that, but saw nothing except sand. Sand and rocks. He huddled close to the ground. Everyone was gone, and he was afraid.

"L-Link," he murmured. "Link."

But he couldn't continue to sit there. He needed to search for the others.

He raised himself up and began to skim across the vast expanse of sand. It was hot out here. Definitely hot. But Volvagia had lived most of his life in a Volcano. This was nothing. The heat was actually quite pleasant.

He didn't see anything. He began to climb higher in the air. He needed a better view.

Volvagia glanced around uneasily. There was nothing but sand and large outcroppings of rock. Where were the others? He didn't quite understand all of this time travel. That Din girl had said that he was alive now because of a rip in fabric. He didn't know what that meant. But maybe now his friends were in a different time. If they were in a different time, would he be able to find them again?

Something whizzed past his head. The dragon whirled around, baring his teeth and hissing menacingly. Behind him, emerging from behind an outcrop of rock, there were five goblin creatures riding great boars. One of them raised a bow and loosed another arrow. Volvagia spiraled out of the way.

He began to swoop down at them, ready to unleash his fire. But he didn't have time for that now. He needed to find his friends. He hesitated, then turned and began to fly away.

A moment later, he let out a roar of pain. One of the arrows had struck its mark, embedding itself in his side.

…

"Oh, you're here too, are you?" Shadow Link grumbled.

"Hmph. Glad to see you too," Navi puffed. "We _told _you not to use the Ocarina like that!"

"Be quiet, you bug!"

"I'm not a bug!"

"You're little and you got wings. You're a bug."

"And you're just a fake," Navi fumed. "I'd rather be a bug than a _fake reflection_ of a _real person_!"

Shadow Link glared at her. "You're a coward."

"Hah. How do you figure that?" Navi demaded.

"You ran away. After Link defeated Ganondorf and Zelda sent him back in time, you ran away! And that moron Link went chasing after you and got us stuck in Termina."

"I didn't _want _to leave!" Navi cried, sounding very upset. Shadow Link had hoped to hit a nerve, and he'd succeeded. "Has it ever occurred to you that I'm not supposed to be alive anymore? That the only reason I'm alive is because of those rips in time Din told us about?"

"You should have stayed there then."

"I almost wish I had! Then I wouldn't have to deal with _you! _You foul, rude…"She couldn't think of anything mean enough to say to him. Nothing that compared to how he was treating her.

"Now that we're in agreement that we hate each other," Shadow Link sneered, "maybe you'll go away."

"And you're completely useless now!" Navi shouted, regaining her voice. But it was trembling badly. "You don't even have the ocarina! You lost it, like you lost everyone else! And the only things you say are things that hurt others! You're not even capable of being a decent human being!"

He glared at the fairy. "Leave. Now."

He turned and stomped away down the rocky side of the mountain. Behind him, Navi follower silently, shedding quiet fairy tears.


	11. Searching

Chapter 11: Searching

"Ooh, this is scary! Are you sure we can do this, Medli? It's so high up!" Tael bobbed nervously from side to side.

Medli stood on the edge of the walkway, looking down at the swirling clouds beneath them. She knew that they had to get down from this temple in the sky. But she'd never been a very strong flier, and the winds up here were so fierce. Plus the clouds blocked her view and she had no idea how far away ground was, or what was down there. For all she knew, it was an ocean beneath her. What would she do if that was true?

"Don't worry, Tael. Hold onto my shirt. We'll be fine."

Medli slid the Ocarina of Time safely into her pocket, took one more deep breath, and then dove off of the platform.

Tael let out a frightened cry and hung tightly to the fabric on Medli's shoulder.

As they fell into the clouds, Medli extended her wings and slowed their descent.

The cold, wet fog drenched her clothes and feathers, making her heavy. It instantly became harder to fly.

They dropped beneath the clouds and found themselves looking out over a vast field. There were mountains in the distance, and a forest. Even a golden desert shone way off to their side.

But directly beneath them was water. A vast lake.

Medli beat her wings desperately. They were still a long way up, and they did _not _want to fall into water from this high up.

Tael whimpered as he felt them dropping much too rapidly. Medli had never gone high enough to touch clouds before, and she didn't know that they'd drench her so much that she wouldn't be able to stay airborne.

Tael fluttered too, trying to help Medli stay in the air. Of course he wasn't' much help for that. He was too small.

The lake was approaching rapidly. Barely moments later, it was almost upon them. Medli flapped her wings once more, slowing her descent just enough. The landing knocked the wind out of her, but didn't break any bones.

She kicked to the surface. "Great. I'm all wet again," she sighed.

Tael hovered over the lake, following her as she swam to the shore.

Medli felt something brush her leg. She gave an involuntary squeal and tucked her feet up.

A moment later, a face appeared in front of her. A face half human and half fish. A Zora.

"Are you all right?" He asked. "It looked like you fell into the lake. You didn't fall off of the bridge, did you?"

"Oh, uh, no, I…" she trailed off.

"Come on. I'll help you to shore. I'm a good swimmer."

He offered Medli his finned forearm . She hesitated, then took hold.

This Zora seemed pretty young. A little older than her, maybe. She'd never met a Zora in person. She'd met with a Zora spirit, and she'd also seen Shadow Link turn into a Zora. But this was her first time meeting one.

The Zora boy bulled her to a ledge right outside of a cave. The sign said that the cave led to a spirit's spring.

"You're all right?" Asked the Zora. "You're not hurt?" His eyes fell on the fairy and he cocked his head.

"Yeah. We're fine," Medli replied. "Thank you."

The Zora took in Medli's beak and the feathers on her arms. "If you don't mind me asking, what race are you? I've never met a bird race before."

"Oh, I'm a Rito. Well, I come from really far away. My name's Medli."

"My name's Tael."

"And I'm Ralis. I came down to check on the water temple, as is my duty occasionally. Link got rid of the monsters, but we have to make sure that the temple remains that way. I guess it's lucky I came down now, huh?

"Yes," Medli agreed. "Thanks again. My feathers aren't supposed to get so drenched, so it'll take a while before I can fly. But maybe you can help me. We're looking for some people."

…

Following Skull Kid's directions, Din and Tatl headed out of the forest and across a bridge. Before long, they arrived at a house. They could see that the path continued on to a village, and that the house stood outside of the town. This must be Ordon Village that Skull Kid had told them about.

Next to the house, there was a horse grazing on the grass. She was brown with a white mane and tail.

"That's Epona!" Tatl whispered. "Link's horse! Except she's a lot bigger than when I saw her last."

Just then, a young boy holding a wooden sword stepped out from behind Epona and stared at them.

"Who are you?" he asked, cocking his head.

"Oh, my name's Din," she said smiling. "and this is Tatl. Tell me, is that Link's horse there?"

The boy turned to look at the mare. "Yeah. This is Epona. Ilia and I have been looking after her since… since Link disappeared. Do you know where he is?" he asked hopefully.

Din shook her head. "No, we're actually looking for him too. But we got separated from our companions. You haven't seen any strangers come by, have you?"

He shook his head. "No, I haven't. You're our first visitors in a while. My name's Colin, by the way."

Tatl buzzed up to Epona's head. The horse shied slightly as the fairy hovered in her face.

"I guess this isn't the same Epona," Tatl sighed. "She doesn't remember me."

Epona turned and stepped up to Din, nudging her in the shoulder. Din stroked Epona's face.

"Animals like you, huh?" Tatl said, landing on the mare's back.

"Are you really looking for Link?" Colin asked hopefully.

Din nodded. "Yes. But we can't do that unless we find the rest of our group. They have something we need if we're going to succeed."

Colin hesitated. "You can borrow Epona if you want to. If it will help find Link."

Din smiled. "That's very kind of you. That might be just what we need. We won't need her for very long. Just until we find the others."

"That's OK. When you're done, you can let her go and she'll find her way back here. She knows her way around. I'll tell Ilia where Epona went. She can be a little overprotective of Epona sometimes." Colin gave a small smile. "But Epona likes you. And I think you'll take good care of her."

Din nodded again. "Thank you. We will take good care of her. And we appreciate it. I hope we'll be able to find Link soon."

"Me too. Oh, you don't have a weapon, do you?" He hesitated, then held out his wooden sword. "I know it's not really much, but it's kind of sharp."

"Are you sure you don't want to keep it? These are dangerous times."

"That's why I want you to have it. I want you to be safe while you're looking for Link. Besides, I can get another one. My dad can make another."

Din accepted the sword. "Thank you again." Din hopped easily onto Epona's back. "Be careful. I hope we can send Link back to you as soon as possible."

"Good luck!"

Din twitched the reigns and Epona set off at a trot. Colin ran to the corner and watched them canter out of sight towards Hyrule Field.

Tatl zoomed along beside Din. "Do you really think we'll find the others in this time?" she asked. "What if they went to a different era?"

"I think they're here. The ocarina was trying to send us all to the same place. We weren't standing near each other, so the time travel made us land in different places. But I _think_ the others should at least be in this land."

"Well, I sure hope you're right."

…

Volvagia labored to stay airborne. He could feel the arrow still in his side, but he couldn't get it out.

He was still in the desert. He'd barely managed to escape the boars and their riders by flying over a canyon. But he didn't think he could go much farther. It hurt.

He was losing altitude too. It was all he could do to keep from skimming the sand. And to top it off, it looked like a sand storm was brewing.

"It… hurts…"

…

Shadow Link's cloak kept most of the sun off of him. And the sun was partially behind the mountain since it was in the evening. But still, he wasn't at his strongest during the day. He wanted to find a dark place to sit until night fell.

Really, he wasn't at all concerned about losing the others. Except Volvagia. Volvagia was the only other "person" he could tolerate. Honestly, dragons are actually _useful._ They fly and breathe fire.

What _did_ worry him was losing the ocarina. Did it get left behind? What would he do if he couldn't find it?

But he was still stuck with Navi. At least she was being quiet now. Sulking along behind him. Man, fairies are useless.

A tunnel. There was a tunnel ahead.

Shadow Link quickened his pace and finally stepped into the darkness of the tunnel.

"How can people do everything during the day," he muttered. "I can't stand it."

He sank to the ground, appreciating the cool tunnel.

At the same time, it was so annoying. He was stuck in this tunnel when he should be out looking for the ocarina and his dragon.

He started to stand up, but stopped. Should he continue to search, or wait for night to fall?


	12. Missed Meetings

Sorry about the late update. I was gone for a week and it threw off my schedule. Anyway, here's the next chapter! Hope y'all enjoy!

Chapter 12: Missed Meetings

Medli sat on the ledge, fanning her wings to help dry them. Ralis sat beside her with his head cocked.

"Wings are pretty cool," he said.

Medli smiled. "So are fins and gills."

"Haha! I suppose so!" He dipped his toes in the lake and gazed out across the water's surface. "So, if you're looking for some friends, you should probably start at the Hyrule Castle Town. There's lots of people there, and you can ask if they've seen anything. Telma could probably help you. She has a lot of people come through her bar. She might have heard something. She's a nice woman too, if a little strange."

"All right. I think I will start there. Thanks, Ralis."

"No problem. Do you want me to show you how to get there? Since you're new to this place? It's not too close to the water, but I'd like to go and visit Telma anyway. She was a big help to me a while ago."

Medli nodded.

"There's a few ways to get there," Ralis said thoughtfully. "You could use the cannon, you could swim, or I guess since you're a bird you could fly too. But I'd have to swim up there even if you flew."

"Cannon," Medli repeated, looking completely bewildered. "Um, yeah. Fly, I guess. I don't think a cannon would…"

Ralis gave a small laugh. "It doesn't sound too appealing to me either. All right then. When your feathers are dry, I'll show you how to get to the Castle Town. Uh, but first I should tell the other Zoras where I'm going. I don't want them to be worried. I'll be back in a minute."

Ralis dove into the lake and disappeared from sight.

Medli waited, taking the opportunity to dry her feathers out some more. She glanced behind her to the cave that led to the spirit's spring. She looked back in the direction of the lake, then stood up and walked into the cave. Tael fluttered after her.

The tunnel opened up into a chamber lined with snake carvings. There was a crystal clear pond in the middle of the room with a pathway winding around it. In front of her was a little jut of land that looked down onto the water.

Medli stepped out onto the ledge and looked down. The water made gentle swishing sounds as it lapped against the stone.

Suddenly a loud voice rang out, making Medli fall over in surprise. Tael gave an alarmed ringing.

"You are not from here, child of the skies."

Medli gulped and got shakily to her feet, looking around for the source of the voice.

"I am the spirit that watches over this region of Hyrule," the voice said. "My name is Lanayru. You are here to try to correct the imbalance that is spreading across the eras. The rips in time. Correct?"

"Y-yes. That's right. I was helping someone… but we got separated. Uh, Shadow Link. Do you know about him? He had the Ocarina of Time. Only now I have it, and I don't know where the others are. Or if they're even in this same time period."

"They are. You got separated by distance, not by time. You will find your companions."

Medli heaved a deep sigh. "Thank goodness."

"Whew!" Tael exclaimed. "I haven't lost Tatl! That's good." He drooped slightly. "But that means that Shadow Link is here also."

"Beware of Shadow Link," said Lanayru warily. "They are never to be trusted. Keep a close watch on him and make sure that he doesn't flee with that which is most valuable."

Medli gulped. She gave a small nod.

"Good luck in your search. Our fate rests with the success of your group." The voice faded.

Medli and Tael remained there for a minute before turning and leaving the spring.

Just as they exited the tunnel, Ralis surfaced, flanked by two adult Zoras. The three of them pulled themselves onto land. The two older Zoras bowed graciously. "We wish you the best of luck on your search," they told Medli. "And prince Ralis, do take care. Don't let yourself get too dry. Are you sure you don't want an escort?"

Ralis shook his head. "That won't be necessary. Thank you, however. I will take care. Come on, Medli. And Tael too. I'll show you how to get there."

…

Epona galloped across Hyrule Field. Din sat on the horses back, her body flowing easily with the motions of the speeding mare. Tatl hung onto her hair.

"Wow. Epona wasn't this fast when she was little!"

Din smiled. "I would imagine not."

"So, where are we going?"

"I don't know."

"Oh."

"I'm just giving Epona her head."

"I see. So, in other words, you got no plan?"

"Not specifically," Din admitted.

"There's a castle on the horizon," Tatl pointed out. "Probably Hyrule Castle."

Din nodded. "Maybe the others will make their way there. Although I doubt that's where Shadow Link would head if he had the choice."

"We might find the others though. At such a big land mark."

Din leaned down over Epona's neck. "Will you take us to the castle? You know the way better than us."

Epona gave a nod and tossed her mane happily. She galloped on.

They swept through a small valley and into another part of the field. Din glanced sharply to the side.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, leaning back in the saddle. Epona snorted and skidded to a halt.

Din was staring off to the side. She'd seen something floating low in the sky. At this distance, she could barely make out its long orange and black shape.

"It's Volvagia!" She exclaimed.

Tatl followed her gaze. "You're right! But he's flying strangely. I wonder what's wrong?"

Din urged Epona in the direction of the dragon. Epona snorted again and broke into a canter.

Suddenly, Volvagia dropped out of the air and disappeared beneath a rise.

Tatl gave a cry and Din tensed.

"Epona, we need to get there," Din shouted.

Epona quickened her pace, her hooves thundering along the ground.

The ride seemed to take a painfully long time. Finally they neared the place where they'd seen Volvagia disappear, and Epona began to slow down. She trotted out onto a bridge and came to a halt.

Din and Tatl peered over the edge of the bridge. There was a long drop below them, and then water. Lake Hylia.

"Volvagia fell down there," Din said.

"How do we get down there?" Tatl asked, eying the long drop uncertainly. "If you jumped from here, you'd probably break your bones."

Din nodded. "You're right."

Epona turned and walked off the bridge. She stopped at the edge of the cliff and pointed with her nose. Din dismounted and looked at what Epona was pointing at. There was a ladder there. A new ladder leading all the way down to the lake.

Din began to climb down. When she made it to the bottom, she peered out across the lake.

"There he is. He's floating in the lake."

Din dove off the ledge into the water and began to swim towards the floating dragon. He was unconscious, but at least his head was above water.

Then Din saw red in the water. He was bleeding.

"He's hurt!" Tael exclaimed.

Din looped an arm around the dragon's neck and tried to tow him back to land. But the dragon was too heavy. The two of them barely moved at all.

"He's sinking!" Tatl exclaimed. "What do we do?"

Din took a deep breath and shut her eyes. A cold wind brushed past them, making Tatl shiver. Then the water began to change, solidifying beneath the dragon. It was freezing, creating a floating platform for Volvagia's head to rest on.

Din opened her eyes and gave a tired gasp. "Manipulating the seasons takes a lot of energy," she muttered. "We have to get him to shore and see where he's hurt."

"Oh!" Tatl exclaimed. "Oh! I see Zoras! Two Zoras in the lake!"

Tatl sped off and rang excitedly as she neared the Zoras.

"Help!" she exclaimed. "Help! The dragon! We need help with the dragon!"

The Zoras looked alarmed. "A dragon? Here? We must call the warriors and drive the beast out!"

"No! No! He's our friend! He's hurt and we have to get him out of the lake! Please help us!"

The Zoras exchanged glances, then swam after Tatl. The two of them drew level with the floating dragon and began to push him towards the shore. The ice was slowly melting beneath Volvagia's hot body, but by then they were able to pull the dragon's head onto the platform in front of the spirit's spring.

Din found the arrow lodged in Volvagia's side. She inhaled sharply and took a ribbon from her costume. She placed her hand very carefully next to the wound and gripped the arrow with her other hand. She paused for several moments, then with a sharp jerk, she tugged the arrow out.

Volvagia opened his mouth and let out a snarl of pain. His eyes squinted shut and he turned his head to the side. But he didn't fully wake up.

Din quickly wrapped the ribbon around Volvagia's middle to stem the flow of blood.

"I hope he'll be all right," Tatl said, drooping slightly. The two Zoras watched on.

"I hope we can find the others as well." Din looked at the two Zoras. "Have you seen a boy dressed in black? Or a girl with wings? Or any other fairies?"

"A purple one and a blue one," Tatl chimed in.

The Zora's looked startled. "Why, Prince Ralis left with a bird girl and a fairy only minutes ago. They're heading towards Hyrule Castle.

…

Shadow Link draped the cloak over himself and stepped out of the tunnel onto the rocky mountain face. The sun was beginning to sink.

"This is stupid," he muttered. "Why do I have to keep doing this? I don't care what happens to the stupid world. I just want to be left alone."

"You'd be happy to abandon everyone, wouldn't you?" Navi muttered very quietly.

Shadow Link didn't seem to have heard. He continued walking down the mountain trail.

Suddenly a rumbling sound made them both glance around. A moment later, Shadow Link hurled himself to the side as a large boulder spun past them, bouncing down the trail. Shadow Link squinted after it. It wasn't a boulder at all, but a rolled-up Goron.

"Stupid rock monsters," he muttered, getting to his feet and brushing his cloak off. "Watch where you're going for a change."

He continued down the side of the path, out of the way of anymore rolling Gorons. He hopped down several ledges and past small hissing vents of hot air. He was nearing the base of the mountain.

Finally as night fell, he reached the bottom.

He glanced around as the path forked. He wasn't sure which way to go.

His night vision was excellent. He could make out the outlines of houses off to one side. He deliberately turned away from the town and walked in the other direction.


	13. Fairy's Flight

OK, so like I said in my other fanfic, school's gonna start pretty soon, so I'm gonna start uploading one chapter per week – that means each of my fanfics will only be updated every other week. Just so ya know!

This is one of those gaps between my ideas. I've had a few good ideas come to me though. It's great when that happens. I think fun stuff's gonna happen in the next chapter. (I wish there were a way to make a mischievous grin out of computer characters. ^-^ doesn't cut it)

Chapter 13: Fairy's Flight

The two Zoras pulled themselves out of the lake, bringing the items that Din had asked for. One of them handed Din a soggy pile of leaves, and the other brought a long, sturdy strip of seaweed.

"These leaves," said one of the Zoras, "have healing properties. They'll make his wound close faster, and they'll prevent against infection."

"And you can use the seaweed as a bandage," the other Zora added.

"Thank you," Din replied, taking the soggy leaves and crushing them beneath a rock to make paste. She removed the thin ribbon from around Volvagia's middle.

As Din tended to Volvagia's wound, Tatl bobbed back and forth uncertainly. "Aah, oh, I guess I should go."

Din looked up at the fairy. "Go?" She repeated.

"Yeah. Go up to the castle and try to find Medli and Tael. Tell them where we are. I know we just found Volvagia and we shouldn't split up anymore…" she hovered next to the unconscious dragon, sounding concerned, "But if we can find the others, well, we better do it now since we know where they are. If we wait too long, we might lose them again."

Din nodded. "That's a good idea. It will probably take a while before Volvagia feels better. But whatever happens, we won't leave here without you."

Tatl gave a nod. "OK. I'll fly up to the city and find where they went, and I'll bring them back here. OK. See ya later. Take care of the dragon!"

Din nodded. "I will. Be careful."

"Yep." She took a deep breath and zoomed up and away from Lake Hylia. Din and the two Zoras watched her go.

Tatl emerged from the valley and saw the castle off in the distance. She began to fly towards it, picking up altitude as she went. It was harder for her to fly higher, but she wanted to get a good view of her surroundings.

As the city came into view beyond the walls, she saw how big it was. It would be hard to find Medli and Tael in all that. Plus it was nearly nightfall. It was getting darker already.

Undaunted, she flew on until she was over the city. She surveyed the buildings below her, wondering where "Telma's Bar" might be. She didn't look up until a shadow fell over her.

She gave a panicked cry and dove out of the air as a huge gray bird swooped down upon her. It stretched out its talons, reaching for the little fairy. She saw the claws closing in on either side of her, and she jerked up, out of the bird's grasp. One of its claws caught her wing, tearing the fragile membrane.

She beat her wings even harder, shooting down towards the city. The bird dove after her, preparing to strike again.

Tatl darted into the branches of a tree, and the bird pulled out of its dive just in time to avoid getting tangled in the leaves. It gave an annoyed screech and flapped to gain altitude again. Tatl sat in a cocoon of twigs, trembling. Her wing hurt, but she could still fly. She had to find the bar.

The fairy emerged, glancing here and there to make sure that the coast was clear.

The tree where she had taken refuge was planted along one of the city's roads. She still had a little more time before dark to search for the bar.

She flitted out of the tree, clinging close to the walls of the buildings. She didn't want to be ambushed again.

She glanced around a corner and saw a bustling street at the end of the road.

Hiding in the shadows, she made her way towards the main road. She continued to search until the sun was almost completely gone. And when her wings were tired and she wanted to sleep, she finally turned down a little side road and found herself facing a sign that read "Telma's Bar."

She gave a sigh of relief and landed on the ledge to rest for a moment. The door was closed anyway. How was she going to get in?

There was a soft sound as something landed behind her.

Tatl whirled around with an alarmed ringing, and found herself facing a white cat. The cat crouched very slightly and took a step towards Tatl.

…

Medli, Tael, and Ralis arrived at Telma's Bar as the sun was beginning to set.

Telma had swooped down on them, greeting Ralis warmly, and then doing the same to Medli. Tael nervously hid behind Medli's shoulder as Telma got them drinks and listened to Medli's story.

"Well, Hun, I'm afraid I haven't seen any dragons. And you say there's a boy like Link? Well, I haven't seen Link in a while. They say that he went missing when Princess Zelda did." Telma shook her head. "I hope they're all right. But I'll be sure to ask anyone who comes in if they've seen your friends. You should spend the night here, Honey. It's late."

"Thank you," Medli said, taking a sip of the cold drink Telma had offered her.

"I can't stay," Ralis sighed. "I know it's getting dark, but I'll be fine. They're waiting for me back at Zora's Domain."

"It's good to see you again, Hun," Telma said, walking him to the door. "You make sure you're careful on the way home."

Ralis nodded, waved farewell to Medli, and left.

Telma stood to the side to let her cat walk in before closing the door.

The fluffy white cat, Louise, stalked into the bar and sat next to the table. She fixed her eyes on Medli, and Tael. Tael shivered nervously, and then suddenly caught sight of something on the cat's shoulders. Something cream-colored, with wings.

"Tatl!" Tael exclaimed, ringing with excitement.

Medli glanced around as Tael zoomed past her towards the cat.

"Mrow," Louise said. But Tael heard what she was saying. "Ah, another fairy? You know this one, do you? Poor dear. She was exhausted. I found her outside and she passed out. So I brought her in."

Medli knelt beside Louise and gently lifted Tatl.

"Is she gonna be OK?" Tael cried, bobbing anxiously beside Medli.

"It looks like she hurt her wing," Medli noted. "But other than that, I think she's just asleep. Thanks," she said to Louise, scratching the cat behind the ears with her free hand.

…

As the sun sank beneath the horizon, Shadow Link smiled. Night. This was his element. Once twilight began, he started to feel more alive. Navi was still trailing along behind him. At least she wasn't talking at all. That was something. He supposed that she was still upset at what he'd said earlier. Well, whatever. People said horrible things about him all the time. She ought to get used to it. Sheesh. Breaking down because of a few words.

Shadow Link threw off the hood of his cloak and stretched.

He still needed to find out where his Ocarina was. But he didn't know where to start, or if he had any chance of finding it. He supposed he could ask around, but that would actually involve speaking to people. He nearly asked Navi to fly off and see if she could see it anywhere, but he didn't want to ask anyone for help. He could take care of himself.

He had left a town back there. Did he dare go back and look around?


	14. The Escapee

Hey guys. Sorry that the last chapters were a bit dull. Honestly, I was kind of improvising cause I wasn't sure how to get to the next part of the story. This part, in fact!

I'll be sure to do better the future. I also recruited the friend who hooked me on Zelda in the first place. I'm gonna get her to help me make sure there's no more boring spots. (if she ever ends up reading my story – none of my friends read my stuff. Stink heads)

But this chapter should be fun. ^-^'

I've been waiting to write this one for a while. Kudos to you if you can guess who the _mysterious character_ is. ;3

Chapter 14: The Escapee

Shadow Link lurked around in the dark street, eying the window suspiciously. The light was on, so someone was definitely awake. But he was still debating whether or not to open the door.

He grumbled and scuffed his feet on the dirt road of Kakariko Village.

Navi perched on the windowsill, looking longingly inside at the two people sitting in the fire-lit room.

"How many people are in there?" Shadow Link demanded.

"Two," Navi sighed resignedly. "A girl and a man."

"Hmm."

Shadow Link took a step towards the door and jammed his hood down over his head. Then he stopped and turned away from the house again. He'd been doing this for several minutes already.

The door opened, illuminating the street. Shadow Link flinched and turned his face away, stepping back.

A dark haired girl was standing in the doorway. She cocked her head as she saw the cloaked boy standing in front of her house.

"Hi," she said. "Did you need to talk to Daddy?"

"Er, I'm looking for something," said Shadow Link through gritted teeth. He took a step to the side so the light wasn't shining on him. "It's a blue ocarina. I think I dropped it somewhere."

"Hmm. I haven't seen one."

Most of the light was blocked out as another figure appeared in the doorway – the man.

"Hello. My name's Renado, and this is my daughter Luda. Can I help you with something? You look like you could use a place to stay for the night. There's an Inn in town."

Shadow Link shook his head. "No, I'm just looking for something. A blue ocarina."

"I haven't seen anything like that. I'm sorry. You could try asking the Gorons. One of them may have found it somewhere."

"Maybe." He shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"Are you sure you don't need a place to stay for the night?" Renado repeated.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Shadow Link began to turn away, then whirled back to face Renado again. "I'm looking for a dragon. You haven't seen one, have you?"

Renado and Luda looked surprised.

"A dragon?" Luda exclaimed.

Renado shook his head. "No one's seen a dragon in a while. At least, not that I've heard.

"OK." Feeling frustrated, Shadow Link turned and walked away down the path. Renado gave a small start as he saw a blue fairy follow the strange boy into the darkness. A moment later, boy and fairy were lost to sight.

Shadow Link kicked a rock, hissing in annoyance. He should have known better than to expect normal people to be able to help him. He was better off working on his own. Except he couldn't because he didn't have the ocarina. Curses! Why did things have to work out like this! How was he supposed to find the Master Sword now? Was there one in this world? And if so, how would he find Ganon? Maybe he wouldn't have to. Maybe Ganon would track him down. Now that he was tied to one time, he might be easy to find.

Shadow Link found himself in a new Part of Hyrule Field.

"Pfff." He jammed his hands in his pockets and started walking out across the grass.

…

Even though a fire crackled in the windowless cell, she was cold. Everything felt so oppressive. She wanted to sink into a deep sleep and remain there. Except she knew she couldn't. _This time_ would be different. She wasn't going to sit by and watch as everything was destroyed.

Princess Zelda took a deep breath and exhaled again, centering her mind. She heard footsteps. No doubt the guard coming to check on her.

She slowly lay down on the bed in her chamber. Her breathing remained slow and even, making her appear asleep. But she kept her mind clear and focused.

The door opened and the guard took the empty food tray from the table. He glanced over at the apparently sleeping Zelda, and then left the room.

This had happened once before. When Zant had come and covered Hyrule in Twilight. That was the first time she'd been imprisoned. Zelda had surrendered in order to save her people. But this time she wasn't going to sit idly by. There was more at stake this time. She could feel it.

Zelda sat up once more, folding her legs in meditating position. She took several more deep breaths. The guard had just come by. It was now or never.

She stood and walked over to the door. As Princess of Hyrule, she had some magic of her own. She'd been spending the past few days trying to focus her power into one form. Perhaps now it would be strong enough to break the seal placed on the door. She placed her palms together, and then raised her right hand. It began to glow with power.

Inhale, exhale, focus.

She placed her hand on the door and immediately unleashed her power.

The door gave a "chunk" sound as the magical lock was blown off. And the door finally swung open.

Zelda dropped her magical trance at once and began to hurry down the stone corridor. She turned a corner and rushed along it.

Footsteps. She ducked down another hall and ran along it. She didn't know where she was going, but she was sure that whatever happened, she might find something. Either a weapon to use, or another ally imprisoned. Link, possibly.

Down one hallway, then another. The place was a maze. She was already completely lost. She came to a staircase. Was she in a tower, or an underground dungeon? She had no idea. She went up.

She picked her way through the spiders web of paths and soon heard footsteps again. She slid through a doorway and pulled it shut behind her, leaving it ajar no more than an inch. She saw several hulking moblins stomp along the corridor where she had just been. One of them paused, and turned his head, sniffing. Could he smell her?

Zelda took several quiet steps away from the door. The moblins moved on.

The princess stood where she was, waiting for the moblins to get around the corner.

She glanced around the room. It was dark and deserted. There wasn't much in here except a table, a few chairs, and a smashed cabinet.

Or… _was_ that all?

Something shifted in the shadows near the broken cabinet.

Zelda quickly stepped away from it, casting around for something to use as a weapon. There was a piece of broken wood not far away…

A figure stepped out of the darkness. It gave a small chuckle and leaned against the table, grinning broadly.

"Hello, Princess."


	15. The Blue Warrior and the Dark Princess

I've been waiting to write this chapter for a while now. I hope I pulled off the mysterious stuff OK.

Chapter 15: The Blue Warrior and the Dark Princess

Shadow Link rammed his hood further down on his head and pulled the cloak tighter around his shoulders. He scooted as far back against the trunk of the tree as he could, trying to shield himself in its shade. He'd been so preoccupied as he walked across the field that night that he hadn't even noticed when the sun rose. So he was stuck under the only shelter within reach – a lone tree in the middle of a field.

And he was in a bad mood again.

Navi perched in the tree branches above him.

There was a river and a bridge not far off. The bridge afforded shade as well, but getting there would involve walking across a patch of sunlight. Shadow Link preferred to sit where he was and stew in his grumpiness.

They'd been sitting like this for quite a while, as was proven by the steadily rising sun.

Navi was hungry, but Shadow Link was stubbornly not moving from his spot, and she didn't want to talk to him.

Shadow Link pulled part of a loaf of bread out of his cloak around mid-day. Navi snatched a small piece and retreated to the canopy of the tree, but Shadow Link ignored her completely.

It was after they'd finished eating that Shadow Link stood up, his eyes glued to the sky. There was something strange suspended in it. It looked like a ribbon snaking across the heavens.

It drew closer to them, flying low to the ground, and going rather slowly. It was moving in a zigzag pattern, as though searching for something.

Shadow Link stared at it.

Navi hovered above the tree, watching the object fixedly. Though it was still rather distant, it bore a very strong resemblance to a certain dragon.

Finally it floated over the part of the field where Shadow Link and Navi were waiting. And they could tell for certain that it was Volvagia, who was carrying two people on his back.

Shadow Link gave a groan and sank back against the tree trunk. He'd hoped to find Volvagia alone, but Medli and Din were with the dragon.

Navi disappeared, shooting off towards Volvagia.

"You came!" she cried delightedly. "You're back!"

She was so happy to meet the others that she could have cried. Being alone with Shadow Link was close to torture.

Tatl and Tael greeted her with happy rings, and Medli and Din smiled.

"Oh, he's down under the tree," Navi added somewhat glumly.

"OK. I found the Ocarina, so I can return it to him," Medli said.

"Do you think he'll be happy to see us?" Tael asked hopefully.

Tatl snorted. "Are you joking? He'll probably just want to snatch the ocarina and run away."

Tael drooped slightly. "Oh."

"I didn't miss him a bit," Tatl said huffily.

"Nevertheless, we'll go down and greet him," Din concluded.

Volvagia, at least, seemed eager to see Shadow Link. He sank to the ground and allowed the others to dismount. The dragon bowed his head in greeting to Shadow Link, who vaguely inclined his head in return.

Shadow Link glared at his newly arrived companions. What right did they have to look so happy? Jerks. The lot of them.

He crammed his hood down as far as it would go.

Medli hesitated, then took a step towards him, holding out the Ocarina of Time.

"I found this."

Shadow Link looked up at her for half a moment, then snatched the Ocarina away from her. He turned and stared in the other direction.

"We met Skull Kid," Tatl said haughtily. "But I don't know if you deserve to know what he told us."

"Why should I care?"

"Because he mentioned where the Master Sword is kept."

…

Two figures stood deep in the shadows of Faron Woods. One of them was a tall blue-clad male. The other seemed to be a child standing beside him.

The strange pair was watching something with rapt attention: The road that passed through the forest. Since the road was currently abandoned, the two of them were obviously waiting for something.

"There," the small figure whispered in a strange accent. "It's coming."

The warrior raised a golden bow and pulled it back, aiming his deadly arrow at the distant pathway.

At that moment, a boy wearing dark clothes stepped into view, unaware of the deadly projectile that was about to strike him down.

…

As the group moved along through Faron Woods, Shadow Link quickened his pace to get ahead of the others. They didn't protest.

Volvagia stayed above the canopy of the forest, flying very slowly. He wanted to keep away from snagging vines and branches. His side still hurt him, but at least he was well enough to fly.

Shadow Link felt a little better now that the forest was here to block the evening sunlight. And he had the ocarina too. Plus his dragon. They might even be able to find the Master Sword at last But any happiness he might have felt about these things was drowned out by the fact that the stalkers had found him again as well.

Something flashed in Shadow Link's peripheral vision.

Without thinking, he dropped and rolled forwards just as something flew over his head, ruffling his hair.

He sprang to his feet and saw the silhouette of a person off in the bushes.

In a moment, his sword was drawn and he went plunging towards his foes.

…

The warrior and the child-like figure inhaled sharply as Shadow Link dodged the arrow by no more than a hair. He then drew his sword and began charging towards them.

The man in blue knocked another arrow, but hesitated before drawing it.

"What are you waiting for?" the small figure hissed. "Shoot it!"

"No. Look over there." The warrior gestured to the path where Medli and Din had just come into view. "I don't think he's with the enemy."

"Well," she scoffed, "he's coming towards us with a sword right now. What do you plan to do?"

…

Just as Shadow Link neared his enemies, the blue-clad warrior stepped out into the open and lay down his bow.

But that wasn't what made Shadow Link screech to a halt.

For several seconds, the two stared at each other. Shadow Link took in the blue suit with the red eye pattern on the front. Though his face was half obscured by a wrap, he knew exactly who this was.

"How did you get here?" Shadow Link demanded. "If Princess Zelda was captured, how can Sheik be here?"

Sheik raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe we've ever met. Perhaps you're speaking of one of my ancestors who used this disguise before me."

Shadow Link wasn't quite sure how to respond to this, so he just glared at Sheik.

"That doesn't answer my question. I thought the Princess of this time had been captured. So, how did you get away?"

"That would be my doing," said a voice from behind a bush.

A child-size figure floated out from behind the leaves and landed beside Sheik.

Shadow Link's mouth hung open slightly as he stared at the strange little black-and-white imp standing before him. There were luminous turquoise markings on her arms and legs, and she had a vivid orange ponytail. Her eyes were red and gold, and as she grinned, she bared one fang.

"What the heck is that?" he blurted out."

"Pff," she snorted, waving her hand at him. "I could ask the same of you. Anyway, that's no way to address the Princess of Twilight, Midna."

"Come again?"

"I think it would be best to start from the beginning," Sheik cut in. He glanced back to where Medli and Din were standing with the three fairies. They had no idea what to make of this strange scene. "Judging by your companions, you're trying to fight the evil that's descending on us, correct?"

Shadow Link smirked. "You could say that."

"Yes, he is," Tatl said forcefully. "We're helping him."

"And what's your goal?"

"Stop!" Shadow Link shouted. "Why the hell should I tell you anything? You just shot an arrow at me!"

"Obviously we thought you were one of the enemy. You sure look the part," Midna snorted.

"We're looking for the Master Sword," Din answered. "We need it to fight Ganon and free his prisoners."

"That won't be easy," Sheik replied. "Ganon is prepared this time. You'd need an army just to get near one of his fortresses."

"I've gotten through those kinds of places before, with my other self," Shadow Link growled. "I don't see why this time should be any different."

"Go on then," Midna scoffed. "Go and get your head chopped off. They're prepared for YOU, at least," she said, pointing at the shadow boy. "They've plenty of weapons to shoot at a creature of darkness. I should know. I'm one myself. Thanks to Zelda, I mean Sheik, I can handle the light now."

"I work on my own," Shadow Link snarled.

"If you think that way, you'll never get anywhere," Sheik replied calmly.

"Luckily," Midna continued, "We have a way to find all of Link's allies, no matter _when_ they are. See, I found Zelda just as she was trying to escape from the palace."

"I never would have made it out without her," Sheik said. "The place was a labyrinth."

"But on the way out, we found _this." _

Midna gestured to something that was slung onto Sheik's back. He pulled it around to reveal a small harp.

"The harp of ages," Midna explained. "Playing it lets you travel through time."

"He must have taken it from Nayru," Din said softly.

"But what's the point of that?" Shadow Link demanded. "We already have the Ocarina of Time!"

"The point is," Midna continued, "Now we can break into two groups. You," she said, jabbing a finger at Shadow Link, "can continue to search for the Master Sword. And a second group can start searching for allies in our fight."


	16. Splitting of the Ways

It's official. School is trying to kill me.

Oh yes. My friend finally read this fanfic! She's given me some good stuff to think about. I take back the comment about her being a stink-head. ^-^

So, she gave me the idea of connecting the Dark World from "A Link to the Past," and the Twilight. Realm Because you actually travel to both the Dark World and Twilight through a mirror. The Magic Mirror (which is portable) and the Mirror of Twilight (which really isn't portable). She also reminded me about in Majora's Mask, the redeads are actual people, and not just monsters to kill.

Ah, this is such a great plot device. With time messed up, I have easy excuses for the Mirror of Twilight being fixed!

Chapter 16: Splitting of the Ways

"I know they're trying to get the Master Sword. During most of the eras, I have the weapon well guarded. But there is one place where I'm having trouble keeping my servants alive. I want you to go there."

"Yes, Lord Ganon," said the figure kneeling on the ground. He wore a dark, dusk-colored cloak and when he raised his head, he revealed a scar under his eye. "But what about Zelda? The one that escaped?"

"She won't be free for long," Ganon replied, pacing to the side. "I'm not too concerned either way. I'm sure they'll all come to me eventually. All I need to do is wait for them to get caught in my web."

"And what about Shadow Link?"

"I'm not worried about him. He probably won't be a match for you, Vaati. He has the Triforce, yes, but his skill isn't refined, and he has many limitations. A chain is only as strong as its weakest Link, after all."

..

"Are you sure this is the place?"

"Of course! Why else would there be so many monsters here?" Midna hissed.

Shadow Link growled. He was lying flat on his belly in the Lost Woods, peering over the edge of a cliff. The open area below them was filled with one of the most unpleasant creatures Link and Shadow Link had ever come across. Redeads.

Due to the proceeding events, Shadow Link's group had been narrowed down to Navi, Midna, and Medli. Volvagia was waiting just outside the lost woods, resting in front of the Forest Temple.

We should probably back up and retell those events.

…

The large group stood together at the side of the road and exchanged what information they had.

"OK, so we need to decide who's going where," Midna announced at last. "Since I know where the Master Sword is, I should probably stay with, uh, Shadow Link."

Shadow Link raised an eyebrow. "Is that right?"

"And I'll lead the other group," Sheik added. "I'll take the harp and gather more allies."

"I'll go with you," Din offered. "I know a little about the harp of Ages. Nayru told me about it."

"I guess I should stay with Shadow Link," Medli said tentatively. "I originally joined up because I learned a lot about Hyrule's history from the Earth Sage."

"I'll go with Shadow Link too," Navi said, sounding as though she didn't like this idea at all. "I know a lot about the Master Sword."

Shadow Link sneered, but obviously realized that no one was going to take his advice on the matter: clear off.

"So, I guess that means Tael and I go with Din and the harp guy," Tatl concluded.

"How will we find you again?" Medli asked, concerned. "I mean, even if you get together an army, where will we ever meet you?"

"Sheik and I have that all planned out," Midna announced. "We know where we're going to meet."

"But do you know _when_ we're going to meet?"

"Midna knows where to go," Sheik responded. "And we found a place to gather our allies. We can use this."

There was a second item attached to the belt where he kept the Harp of Ages. He pulled it around so that everyone could see.

"It's a mirror that leads to another realm," Sheik explained. "That's where we'll meet."

"Another realm, huh," Shadow Link sneered. "I don't like the sound of that. And even if I did, how would we find it?"

"I can get there too," Midna said.

"Long ago," Sheik recited," there was an incident involving the Dark World. People who were sent there were turned into strange creatures. Since then, that world has changed and become inhabited by the Twili. It is now called the Twilight Realm. The Princess of that realm stands before you."

Midna grinned. "I'm only too happy to volunteer my palace as a meeting place for everyone.

"Oh yeah!" Tatl shouted. "Don't let Shadow Link go playing that Ocarina whenever he feels like it! He did that in the Four Swords place, and then again right after we met Din! The Ocarina probably brought us to those places for a reason, and you went and took us away from it before we figured anything out. That's also the reason we got separated. He probably would have played it again by now if he hadn't lost the Ocarina!"

"I'll be sure to leave you behind next time," Shadow Link snapped.

…

Shadow Link grimaced, staring down at the monster-infested clearing. "I hate those life-sucking zombies," he growled. "In Termina, we had a mask that let us talk to the redeads. Not that that _wasn't_ creepy. Too bad that Skull Kid didn't bring _that _mask to me. I don't want to fight those things."

"Yeah. There were some in Arbiters Grounds, the old prison deep in the desert," Midna replied.

Medli shuddered. "They look really creepy."

"Too bad you're the only one who can't fly," Midna said, grinning. "The bird girl and I can both do it."

"I thought you said you can teleport," Shadow Link hissed. "Why don't you just teleport us to the Master Sword?"

"Cause we might land right in the middle of a pack of monsters. I think we'll want to see where we're going. Too bad the Fused Shadows were broken. I could have used them."

"What are Fused Shadows?" Navi asked.

"An artifact made by my people long ago. I used them to fight Ganon, but he was too strong. He took them from me and broke them."

"Shhh!" Shadow Link hissed. "Stop talking so loud! Those things will here you!"

The redeads below were glancing blankly around.

Medli shuddered again. "I wonder if they would hear us if I tried to fly over. I don't think I'm strong enough to carry you though," she whispered to Shadow Link. "I could carry Link for a little while, but he's younger than you are. And I don't think you'd want me to drop you in the middle of that."

"So, what are we going to do?" Navi asked. "Everyone but Shadow Link can fly."

"I just thought of something," Midna said suddenly. "Wait here."

Before anyone could say anything, she'd flown away, back in the direction they'd come.

She floated out of the Lost Woods, towards the Forest Temple. It was so nostalgic, being back here. She never thought she'd be able to come back to the light world again. Luckily she had her power back. It let her stay in her imp form, which was much more convenient for travel in this world. She wondered if it would be worth it to hide herself in Medli's shadow. Considering that Shadow Link WAS a shadow, she probably couldn't hide in his.

She floated out above the forest temple and blinked in surprise.

Volvagia was still there, but he was backed up against the cliff wall, hissing. It wasn't hard to see why. A dozen white monkeys were gathered around him, pelting him with berries.

"Hey!" Midna shouted, dropping down on them. "Knock it off! He's a friend!"

The monkeys backed off, startled. But one of them hopped towards her. Midna recognized this monkey. She had a flower stuck behind her ear. She'd been quite helpful when Midna was traveling with Link.

"Listen," Midna said to the female monkey, "I need your help. We need to get into the place where the Master Sword is, but there's monsters in the way. Can you come with me?"

The monkey cocked her head, then turned and exchanged a few words to her companions. She turned back to Midna and nodded.

"Great. Thanks. Come on. This way."

Volvagia growled at the monkeys one last time.

Midna floated off again, and the monkeys jumped up into the treetops, swinging after her.

"At least that Skull Kid isn't attacking us this time," Midna muttered. "He was a real pain."

Midna and the troop of monkeys all landed around Shadow Link and Medli.

Shadow Link almost attacked them before he realized what was going on.

The monkey wearing the flower jumped onto a branch and hung from it by her feet. The second monkey swung off her arms and landed in the next branch. The monkeys continued to swing on each other's arms, until all of them had formed a trail over the redeads below, leading to the sanctuary where the Master Sword was kept.

"Go on," Midna suggested. "They can support your weight. Just grab their arms and let them swing you where you need to go."

Shadow Link stared at the line-up of hanging monkeys. "You've got to be kidding."

"I'll go first," Medli offered.

Shadow Link didn't respond. Medli jumped, holding out her arms. The girl monkey caught her, and then swung her onto the next monkey. They continued to pass Medli down until she landed out of sight beyond a ledge.

Shadow Link continued to stare after her. The monkeys waited.

"I think he's scared," Midna said to Navi.

Navi gave a small laugh.

"If you think that's gonna make me jump, you've got another thing coming," Shadow Link growled. "I'd rather just go down there, use one of my masks, and kill all those things. Even if redeads are awful."

"That just means that it'll take longer to get to the Master Sword," the fairy sighed.

He growled, and then took a running jump at the nearest monkey. A few moments later, he'd landed beside Medli.

This part of the forest appeared quite deserted.

"It's quiet," Medli said softly. "I guess it's safe."

"Quiet doesn't mean safe, "Shadow Link growled.

"It might just mean more danger," Midna agreed. She floated down off of the ledge. "We'd better be careful. Come on. The Master Sword is right down that path."

…

Theatre: What if Midna and Shadow Link both met up with a normal Link? (Though they probably wouldn't speak quite like this)

Midna: Link! You're safe! That's great! I can hide in your shadow again!

Shadow Link: Wait a second, you weird little creature, I'M Shadow Link. I'M Link's shadow. And there's no way I'm sharing his shadow with you.

Midna: Why would Link want some stuck-up jerk like you in his shadow? I can teleport, and I can even turn him into a wolf! Not to mention I rule a different dimension!

Link: I don't think anyone else ever has this much trouble with their shadow…


	17. Cloaked Servant

Sorry I'm late to post. Heheh.

I really liked the Minsh Cap. That was a fun game. The Picori were so cute! And if you see pictures of Vaati when he was still a Picori, you'll know that he was actually really cute too. He looks cool in "evil mode" though. For the risk of sounding redundant, the Minish Cap manga – the ending of it – is part of the reason I gave Vaati this role.

Chapter 17: Cloaked Servant

Shadow Link swung off the ledge and landed silently on the ground. Medli landed beside him. Midna lead the way across the open patch of earth floating towards a pathway flanked by statues. Shadow Link stepped cautiously after her, glancing uneasily around. The lack of monsters here was unnerving.

"It's a sacred place," Medli said softly. "That's probably why there aren't any monsters here." She was responding to the comment that Midna had made earlier.

"If there's one thing I've learned about sacred places," Shadow Link growled, "it's that monsters like to defile them."

They slipped into the pathway where Midna was waiting for them. She pointed and Navi, Medli, and Shadow Link looked.

In front of them was the remains of a ruin. They could see cracked, moss-covered stones on the ground. In the middle of the circular patch was a slightly raised platform with a pedestal on it. And resting in the pedestal, hilt reaching upwards, was the Master Sword.

Shadow Link immediately forgot his earlier caution. He let his hand drop off of the hilt of his sword and his hood fell off his face. He strode out into the clearing, a twisted smile covering his face. Everyone watched him near the pedestal. They held their breath as Shadow Link stood before the sword. Then he reached out and wrapped his fingers around the hilt.

Immediately there was a blinding flash and a rumbling sound. Everyone threw their hands up to shield their eyes.

When the light subsided, they looked up to see Shadow Link cowering against the back edge of the clearing. He was shaking and his arms were over his face.

And, most importantly, the Master Sword was still in its pedestal, locked in place and awaiting its wielder.

The small audience stared as Shadow Link slowly lowered his arms and looked down at his pale hands. His palm had been scalded and looked rather red.

He clenched his fists and forced himself to his feet. Although they could still see him shaking, the look on his face was enough to make a Moblin flee in terror.

Everyone jumped as an unexpected sound rang through the forest. Laughter.

"I'd say that failed miserably, though that makes things easier for me."

The group looked up to see a caped figure standing on the remains of a broken wall, looking down at them.

Shadow Link immediately reached for his sword, but his fingers were still shaking, and his hand slipped off the hilt. The result was that his sword clattered to the ground a few feet in front of him.

The person laughed again. "Actually, considering how much that light hurt you, I'm impressed that you're still trying to fight me." He jumped down and landed in the clearing between Shadow Link and his companions.

Midna immediately assumed a position ready for battle, and Medli took a step backwards with Navi. Shadow Link snatched up his sword and held it unsteadily in front of him.

"Who are you?" Midna demanded.

"Vaati," he said carelessly.

"You work for Ganon," Shadow Link snarled.

"Ganon certainly thinks I do," Vaati said, giving a crooked smile. "Actually, this works out quite well for me." He gestured at the Master Sword. "The fact that you can't touch it means that I don't have to fight you, and I still get credit for defending the sword."

"Is that right?" Shadow Link spat. "So you're supposed to defend the sword for Lord Ganon?"

"Like I said, he thinks I am."

"Are you trying to imply that you're not really working for him?" Midna asked, smiling wryly.

Vaati shrugged. "Pretty much. I don't trust him. I know that once I'm no more use to him, he'll happily leave me to die. I'd rather avoid that if possible."

"That' doesn't seem like a solid excuse for us to want you on our team," Midna retorted.

"I wasn't done," Vaati said calmly. "And I don't need to be on your team. I just though I should help. Clearly, you need the Master Sword to face Ganon, right? But you can't draw it yourself. The answer is obvious. You need a Link that CAN draw the sword. Which means you need to break into one of Ganon's strongholds and rescue a Link."

"We were told that his fortress is defended too strongly for us to get in," Medli said timidly from behind Midna. "That you'd need an army to do that."

"Ordinarily yeah, but I can get you in. And like I said, since the Master Sword's still here, I can pretend like I drove you off, and I can stay on Ganon's good side. And that way if you need help again after you get the Master Sword, I'll still be around to tell you what Ganon's up to."

"I still don't understand why we're supposed to trust you," Shadow Link said. He still wasn't steady on his feet.

"Listen," Vaati said, holding up his hands, "I don't like Ganon. Honestly, I fought against Link once. I don't want to again. And I don't like Ganon. I don't like what he's doing. Also, I know some people who could help out. They may be small, but there's no one better for making things. Anyway, I think they'll listen to me if I go and ask them to help you. Ezlo might anyway. As long as he's not a hat anymore."

"Excuse me?" Midna said blankly.

Vaati waved his hand. "That's a long story. Anyway, do you want my help or not? Do you want to try to save Link?"

"Of course," Midna said. "Once we're sure you're not trying to hand us over to Ganon."

"I don't think he will," Shadow Link said.

"Is that right? Amazing," Navi retorted. "Do you actually trust someone?"

He glared at her but said, "I know. I was on that side once too. This fight is bigger than anything we've ever taken part in. Have you even considered how it's going to effect the rest of us that people who are dead are now back again? It could easily tear space apart. Even those of us who were once on his side are reconsidering. The smart ones, at least."

"Just because you're not fighting for Ganon doesn't mean you won't fight against us," Midna responded.

"We could go in loops like this all day," Vaati sighed. "Now I'm offering to help. Whether or not you choose to trust me is up to you. If you want to try to draw the sword again, be my guest. Whatever you do, I'll still ask the Picori to help you."

"We can send them to the meeting place," Medli said without thinking.

"And don't go saying something like that in front of _him," _Midna sighed. "If he turns out to be on our side, then great. But until then, I don't want him knowing too much."

"We're going," Shadow Link decided.

"Are we?" Midna replied, placing her hand on her hip. "What about Volvagia? He's going to have to wait here. If we want to be sneaky, we can't have a dragon with us. Maybe he can keep an eye on this guy." She jabbed her thumb at Vaati. "That way if he tries anything funny, he'll have a dragon after him."

Vaati shrugged. "Whatever. So, one more question. Which Link are you going after?"

At this remark, all of them exchanged glances.

"Well," Midna started, "we already know that we all want to save the Link that we know. But I don't think we're going to get away with that. We'd be lucky enough to rescue _one _Link."

"And arguing amongst ourselves won't do much good," Medli agreed.

"We get enough of that with him," Navi muttered, glancing at Shadow Link.

"So, how do we decide?" Medli asked.

"There's no question about it," Shadow Link cut in. "We have to go after my Link. I've been where he's imprisoned, and also I'm drawn to him because I'm his shadow. So, I'll know where to go."

Midna and Medli sighed in disappointment. Both of them had been hoping to rescue the Link that they knew. Midna, especially, was aching to see her old friend.

"Hmm. Interesting choice," Vaati said thoughtfully. "Considering he's going to be pretty well guarded after _you_ escaped from him. And considering his arm's broken and he lost badly to Ganon just before he was caught."

"What?" Midna exclaimed.

"All of the Links will probably be beat up if Ganon was able to catch them," Navi reminded her.

"And one other thing," Vaati continued. "Suppose you are caught?" He was talking to Shadow Link. "Ganon said that you're the one who stole the Triforce. So, if he gets you, the Triforce will be lost, and what Link did to help you escape will be for nothing."

"What do you mean, 'what Link did to help you escape?'" Medli asked.

But Shadow Link cut her off. "Well, I'm certainly not waiting behind, if that's what you're implying."

"Suit yourself. It's just worse for all of us if Ganon catches you."


	18. Gathering

So, this one has a lot of references to characters throughout several games. There will probably be references to more characters in the coming chapters, and I've played most of the games, so I know a lot of the characters and plots. If you don't understand something, or know one of the characters, you can ask me. (It's be too awkward to include detailed descriptions of them all in such short spaces). But for those who do recognize them, I hope you enjoy these references!

And Nabeen is my own character.

Sorry for the short chapter.

Chapter 18: Gathering

Malon stepped out of the barn, carrying a pail of Lonlon milk. She cast an uneasy glance at the sky. She could tell that something strange was brewing again. The horses and cows were restless. Things hadn't been like this since Link had defeated Ganondorf a year ago.

She turned to the door to the house and froze, because someone was standing in front of her who she had not seen a moment before. A man dressed in a blue suit with a red eye on the front.

"Sorry to startle you," he said graciously. "But there is much to say in little time."

…

A train steamed along the tracks, carrying in its cart a supply of logs. Alfonzo pulled the cable to the horn as he neared a crossing. He slowed the train to avoid losing his cargo.

Just then, something flew in the window and circled the engineer's head.

"A bug!" he shouted, taking off his hat and swatting at it.

"I'm not a bug! Stop that!"

Alfonzo paused, wondering where the voice was. He looked out the window, and then to the supply cart behind him. He looked back to the front in time to pull the train to a halt before he hit a branch that had fallen across the tracks.

He finally turned to the bug.

It wasn't a bug. It was a cream-colored fairy.

"Listen, you know Link and Zelda, right?" Tatl asked.

…

Linebeck strolled out of the shop, whistling and rattling a pouch of coins happily.

"Not a bad haul," he said, grinning. "Maybe I'll spend it on a new part for my ship." He glanced fondly at his boat, which was moored at a dock across the town.

"Ah, I found you!"

He wasn't really paying attention, so he hadn't heard the call.

"Hey, guy, I gotta talk to you!"

Linebeck started walking towards his ship. Then something purple appeared in front of his face.

"Waah!" He shouted, throwing up his arms.

"I need to ask you something," said the purple thing in front of his face.

Then Linebeck realized that it was a fairy.

"Another fairy?" he groaned. "Fairies are nothing but trouble. Shoo!"

"Wait a sec! Link's in trouble! We need help!"

…

On the top of a snowy peak, two large furry creatures sat side by side beneath a frozen tree.

"It nice day," grunted the larger figure. A yeti.

"Yes. We go sled, maybe?" suggested the smaller yeti, a female.

"You always beat Yeto!" The larger Yeti said, and he laughed.

"Excuse me," came a voice from behind them. The pair of Yetis turned around to see a girl standing behind them. Though she was dressed in what appeared to be a very thin one-piece suit, she didn't look cold at all.

"My name's Din. I need your help. Link's in danger."

…

"I don't see anything."

"Which is no reason to be so loud," Vaati responded coolly. "Just because you can't see it doesn't mean that it's not there."

""But there's _nothing_ here!" Shadow Link snapped, looking out over the expanse of parched cracked ground before them, covered in dead gray grass. "Ganon likes building his forts in huge castles and stuff!"

"Maybe he's stopped being so obvious about it," Vaati responded cooly, raising an eyebrow.

"This place reeks of evil," Midna said, waving a hand in front of her face as though to dispel the stench. She leaned back against one of the rocks their group was taking shelter behind.

"Yeah," Navi agreed, buzzing back and forth anxiously.

Vaati had brought them here using the power Ganon had given to move between two times – in this case, Shadow Link's time and Midna's time. Vaati had tweaked the ability to allow all of the others to accompany him.

Medli was crouched beside the others. Volvagia had come along as well and was coiled up beside them. He'd be remaining outside with Vaati since there would be no place for a dragon wherever they were going.

"Where's the entrance?" Shadow Link demanded.

"Near the middle of the field. It's hidden though. You not only need a key, but you also need to present a display of your magic to make the door appear. And then if you get through, there's a magic barrier and guards to make sure there's no intruders."

"And how do you propose we get past all that?" Midna demanded "I can't warp in there. And warping _out _of there might be tricky too, if it's even possible. I _think_ I now have enough power to warp us somewhere without the use of portals. But I've never done it with so many people before."

Vaati shrugged. "I don't really know the best way for you to get out. I'm not going in with you, that's for sure. I intend to remain a double agent for a little while longer. I need to learn more from him. But I'll stick around till you get out. I gotta baby-sit your dragon."

Volvagia growled.

"If you can make it back to where I send you, I might be able to get you out," Vaati offered.

"How'd _you_ get out?" Medli asked Shadow Link.

Shadow Link didn't look as though he wanted to answer. "I hadn't taken solid form yet," he admitted. "I was still shadow. I managed to get into through long tunnel and slip out through a crack in the rock. I never saw the main part of the fortress because I got out at least a mile from it. But I was sure that I was in a castle. The way it was built and …"

"I never said it wasn't a castle," Vaati said, examining his fingernails.

"Meaning?" Midna demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

"Meaning it's underground. In a cavern."

There was silence for a moment.

"Is Ganon here now?" Navi asked.

Vaati shook his head. "Nah. He's off somewhere. Trying to hunt you down, probably. I doubt he expects you to walk right into one of his forts."

"You still haven't told us how to get in," Medli reminded him.

"I need to tell you one more thing," Vaati continued, as though he hadn't heard her. "There's one other person in there that you may need. Well, more than one, actually, but this person is special. Her name is Nabeen. Ganon found her by accident as he was hunting down all of the Links. She's a Gerudo girl. Ganon holds her unconscious in a guarded chamber. You'll probably want to find her after you get Link, because otherwise you'll get security after you, and they'll get Link under heavy guard. But you'll need her help. Especially if you want Link in fighting condition."

"What's that mean?" Navi asked, landing on Medli's shoulder.

"And now, I'll tell you how to get in."

"Hang on a sec. We have some more questions about…" Midna started.

But Vaati had placed his palms together and a wind picked up, ruffling his cape.

"See ya soon."

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet tore apart, and the group plunged into a dark abyss.


	19. Fallen Hero

OK! A long chapter to make up for the last one!

My friends have been bugging me to use weirder characters, cause mine are usually too nice, and I don't have as many evil people. My friend's influence is the reason Shadow Link turned out the way he did. I almost made him completely different. But this has been a good experience for me. I'm trying to make Shadow Link a real jerk, while still getting the readers to care about him. So, he's obnoxious, but he occasionally shows a slightly less-mean side. I hope it's working though! Tell me what you think about it.

I keep getting the names Medli and Midna confused! Waah! What was I thinking putting the 2 of them together?

Chapter 19: Fallen Hero

Pitch blackness closed around them. They felt themselves plummeting downwards, though they could see nothing above nor below.

Midna had been standing on the ground at the time, not floating. The vanishing of the ground had caught her off guard, but now she tried to stop herself. It didn't work. She could still feel the air rushing past her.

"I can't fly!" she shouted, alarmed.

"Waah! Me either!" Navi wailed.

The fairy's glowing body was their only source of light in the pitch blackness.

"We should try to grab hold of each other!" Medli called, reaching out towards the blue light and carefully cupping Navi in her hands.

Midna reached out and grabbed Medli's elbow.

"How's that gonna help us?" Shadow Link snarled.

"We're slowing down," Midna shouted.

Suddenly, all of them hit the ground. It wasn't hard enough to break bones, but it knocked the wind out of them. Navi flew out of Medli's hands and bounced off the ground. Midna landed rather heavily on her feet. Shadow Link landed flat on his back, and sat up, groaning and rubbing his sore back.

"Stupid Vaati."

They slowly stood up and looked around. It was still pitch black. Even Navi's glow was insignificant.

Shadow Link's legs felt weak. He sank back to his knees, breathing hard.

"Are you OK?" Medli asked, hearing his gasps.

"Urf…"

"Did you hit your head when you fell" Navi asked.

"No…"

"I think I know what it is," Midna said. "It's too dark."

"What?" Medli asked, confused.

"Well if there's no light, then there's no shadows, right? Everything is one big shadow. They all blend together."

"I-I _hate_ light."

"Nevertheless, you need at least a little bit of it to survive," Midna replied. "I know. I've put shadows to good use during my time in Hyrule. Let's get out of here."

A moment later, there was a crackling sound and a soft glow fell over them. Midna had produced a glowing orange ball in her hands.

They were in what looked like a small cave. At least, it was small unless you looked up. The ceiling was so high that the top disappeared into the gloom.

There was only one direction for them to go. Shadow Link got to his feet and they walked down the tunnel. Barely a minute later, they emerged.

They all stared, open-mouthed in the same direction, their necks craned upwards. They were in an immense cavern with massive lanterns hanging from its rooftop high above. In the center of the cavern was a towering castle, carved out of a monstrous column of stone. It reached in a pillar from the floor of the cavern up to the very top. There were few, if any windows, but a few precarious pathways looped around its perimeter.

"How will we ever find Link in there?" Navi said hopelessly. "And we have to find that other girl too…"

"Forget about her," Shadow Link snapped. "I can find Link without too much trouble, but we'll never find that other girl in this labyrinth. Let's just get Link and get out of here!"

"Vaati said we'd need her," Medli replied.

"Enough! I'm surrounded by girls already! Sheesh! Let's just find a way to get in there without triggering an alarm."

"I'm on it," Midna said. She looked back and forth from Shadow Link to Medli. "Hm. You _are _a shadow, so I don't' think my little trick will work with you."

"What?"

"I'm going to borrow your shadow, Medli," Midna announced.

A moment later, she sank out of sight.

"Whaaa?" Medli exclaimed, startled.

A moment later, Midna had reappeared, though her form was now black as though she had become a shadow herself.

"OK. I'm harder to spot like this," she announced. "I'll have to find an entrance that this guy can get in through, cause he can't fly." Midna jabbed her thumb in Shadow Link's direction and floated away before he could retort.

Shadow Link and Medli sat down in the tunnel they'd just emerged from, out of sight of the castle. All they could do was wait for Midna to return.

Shadow Link looked more sour than usual, probably because he'd appeared weak in front of them due to the darkness.

"Would you cut that out?" he snapped, watching Navi bob back and forth. "Just sit still. You're driving me crazy."

Navi glared at him before perching on Medli's shoulder.

Several minutes passed before Midna arrived again.

"OK. Found a way in, I think."

"You think?" Shadow Link snapped irritably. "I'd like a little more certainty before heading out there."

"It's the best we've got. You guys just need to be really sneaky."

"You should wait here," Shadow Link said abruptly to Medli.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because you're obviously no good at fighting or stealth. You'd only be in the way."

"I helped Link through a dungeon once!"

"Or did he have to protect you the whole way through?"

"I…"

"Yeah. Anyway, you wait here!"

He gave her a push back into the cave and strode off.

"Hey!" Navi shouted.

"Don't shout! Do you want to tell everyone that we're sneaking in?" Shadow Link snapped at the fairy.

"You shouldn't treat her like that!" Navi continued hotly.

"That is a little overboard," Midna agreed.

"She's been really helpful!" Navi persisted.

"Doesn't seem like she's done anything," he said, shrugging and striding off across the boulder-strewn cavern floor.

Medli sighed. "I guess I should wait behind," she admitted to Midna and Navi. "I probably would get in the way."

"Are you sure?" Navi asked, concerned.

Medli nodded, looking a bit forlorn. "Go and rescue Link."

Midna nodded and floated after Shadow Link. Navi hung back a moment longer before following.

Shadow Link darted from boulder to boulder, always keeping out of sight of the tower in case someone was watching. Midna blended in with the shadows and Navi hid behind her.

They slowly crept further and further forwards, taking it very slow to the base of the castle.

"This way," Midna said, leading them around the base to a small gap in the rock. It looked like a vent or a gap to fire weapons out of.

Midna went in first, sliding easily through the window. Shadow Link wriggled through, nearly getting his shoulders stuck. Finally he flopped out of the other end and Navi followed him through.

"Your turn," Midna informed Shadow Link as he pushed himself to his feet again. "You said you can lead us to Link, so lead the way."

"Up," Shadow Link mumbled.

"You don't say" Midna scoffed. "We have to go _up? _I never would have thought."

Shadow Link remained very quiet as he walked to the other end of the room and peered through the door.

"I remember there was a spiral staircase somewhere," he mumbled to himself.

"Before you go out there," Midna said, leaning against the wall, "maybe we should figure out a way to not get caught."

"Easy. If we see a monster, kill it."

"Right. And then when they find their dead guards scattered all over the place, how do you think they'll react?" Midna demanded. "They'll tighten security so much that we'll never get out. It's going to be hard enough if Link's in as bad a condition as it sounds. And being sneaky only works until you're caught. If someone acts like they don't belong somewhere, they stand out. What you need to do is pretend like you know exactly what you're doing, and that you come here all the time. The lesser monsters will probably be fooled by that, no problem. So, put your hood up and let's get going."

"Stop telling me what to do!" he hissed. "And what about you? How are you going to hide?"

"If Medli were here, I could use her shadow. I'm still in my shadow form, at least, so I'm less noticeable. I should be able to hide behind you with no problem."

"I guess I gotta hide in your cloak," Navi sighed reluctantly.

Shadow Link made a face, but let her fly into his pocket. He pulled his hood up and strode confidently out of the room.

He made his way down the empty hall, It took them a few minutes to find the stairway. Shadow Link stared upwards at the endless flights of spiraled stairs, reaching up out of sight.

"I'm glad I can fly," came Midna's voice from somewhere. "At least I don't have to walk up all that."

"Shut up," Shadow Link hissed.

He began to climb.

After about ten flights, he was breathing hard, but he kept going.

At fourteen, they heard footsteps descending from above.

Shadow Link kept walking, pretending he didn't care. He came face-to-face with a pig-faced, spear-wielding monster which stopped and sniffed at the hood of his cloak. Midna, at least, was nowhere to be seen. Navi trembled in the pocket of the cloak.

"Buzz off, pig head," Shadow Link snapped, shoving past the monster. It gave an annoyed snort, and continued walking down the stairs.

Twenty flights up, Shadow Link dropped to his hands and knees, panting and trying to regain his breath.

"Make sure you're going nice and slowly," Midna suggested from somewhere.

"We're getting close," he huffed. "Nearly there. I can feel it…" He pushed himself to his feet and willed himself to keep stepping up.

It was after nearly thirty flights when he finally stopped and walked out of the doorway to the stairwell. They were in another bare stone hallway. His knees shaking a bit from the walk up the stairs, Shadow Link continued on. With every step, he felt as though he was growing heavier.

Several minutes later, he stopped outside of a doorway.

Midna appeared beside him.

"Is he through here?"

Shadow Link hesitated "Yes."

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go! You're not afraid of enemies are you?"

He shook his head. He looked nervous and anxious, quite unlike Midna or Navi had ever seen him. He took a step backwards.

"Do you sense danger?" Navi asked.

"It's not that…"

"Come on then." Midna bounced in through the doorway and Shadow Link followed, dragging his feet.

Navi flew out of his pocket and up to Midna.

"I think I know why he's nervous," she whispered.

"Hm?" Midna asked.

"I think he's afraid that Link will take the Triforce back and turn him into a shadow again."

"Good point. But we have to find Link no matter what."

"Yeah."

They stepped into a dingy cell lit by sputtering torches. On a heavy wooden table, a few weapons had been unceremoniously dumped. The opposite end of the room was barred off in a sort of cage. There was a figure lying motionless on the floor.

"Link!" Navi cried, zooming through the bars and landing at his side. "Link, wake up! It's me! We're here to help you!"

Midna dissolved into a cloud of bubbles and passed easily through the bars to land at his side.

"He looks just like him," she whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But he's so pale. He's barely breathing."

"Ganon probably put him under a curse, or something," Shadow Link muttered, walking towards the cell door. He put out his hand, and to his amazement, the door swung easily open. "He didn't even lock the door."

"You won't be saving your hero any time son," came an icy voice from a dark corner of the cell.

They all whirled around to see a figure rising from the shadows. Shadow Link took a step back, his hand automatically going to his sword hilt. The stranger looked exactly like him, with the dark clothes ad hair. But instead of Shadow Link's pale skin, this person's skin was solid black.

"It's you," Navi whispered to Shadow Link.

"No," Shadow Link hissed, pulling his cloak off. "That's not me. That's Dark Link."

Dark Link drew a black sword and took a step towards them.

(For convenience sake, they are now Shadow and Dark)

Shadow stepped out of the cell and slammed the door shut behind them to give the others some small amount of protection.

Dark gave a sweep of his arm and overturned the table in the middle of the room, sending it crashing into the wall. The contents scattered about the floor.

Shadow quickly scanned the layout of the room. It was small. Not much room to maneuver. And now there was stuff all over the floor for him to trip over.

Suddenly Dark lunged at him, and Shadow raised his sword barely in time to block the blow. He pushed himself away and stabbed with his sword only to have Dark flick it sideways with his own blade.

Shadow spun around in time to block a dangerous series of blows to his middle, and then raised his sword to stop a strike that would have cleaved his head.

Dark kicked out, getting Shadow in the shins. He staggered backwards, cursing under his breath. He would never get a hit in like this. Dark was too good…

Dark rushed forwards, swinging his sword over and over again, driving Shadow back against the wall. Shadow braced himself against the stone and launched off of it, driving his shoulder into Dark's stomach.

The blow didn't affect him at all. His sword came down, snagging Shadow's arm and tearing the skin.

Shadow landed heavily on the ground and quickly rolled onto his back to block Dark's sword as it swung down at him.

Shadow kicked out and Dark jumped back.

Shadow reached out and grabbed something off of the floor. A boomerang.

He hurled it, but Dark ducked and the boomerang clattered against the wall and fell to the floor.

Shadow scrambled to his feet and backed away. Dark was on him in an instant, forcing Shadow back against the wall once more.

Shadow's arms ached and his teeth rattled as the intensity of Dark's blows increased. It was all he could do to keep his head from getting chopped off.

Dark's sword darted in and hooked in the hilt of Shadow's sword, twisting it. One of Shadow's hands was wrenched from the hilt. He barely managed to hang on with the other, but an instant later, Dark's blade was at his throat and Dark was smiling triumphantly, showing pointed teeth.

"Time for you to go back to the shadows," Dark hissed softly.

Shadow Link trembled and his eyes fell on the cell. Even in his desperate situation, he registered a moment of confusion. It looked very much like Midna had picked up the slingshot and was aiming it at Dark Link. And what was the ammunition she'd put in the slingshot? It looked like Navi…

Midna released the sling and Navi hurtled through the bars of the cell into Dark's face.

Dark's head jerked sideways. Shadow Link didn't hesitate, but raised his sword and drove it into Dark Link.

For a moment, there was silence. Then Dark Link let out a high wail. There was a hissing sound and Dark Link began to dissolve into black vapor. A few moments later, he was gone.

Shadow Link dropped to his knees, and his sword clattered to the ground in relief and exhaustion.

"Aah! I did it!" Navi shouted. "It worked! Midna, I told you it would work! Yesss! We did it!"

Midna grinned, showing her fang. "That was some fancy sword work there," she said to Shadow Link. "But we'd better hurry. We need to get Link out of here. He doesn't look very good. And he won't wake up."

"Vaati told us that the girl who's trapped here could help," Navi reminded them. "He probably knew that Link was cursed. Maybe the girl can break the curse."

"How are we supposed to find her," Shadow Link gasped, still very much out of breath. "And what do we do with Link? He's unconscious. Should we just leave him here and come back?"

"Then why did we come here if we were just gonna leave again?" Midna asked. "Besides, Vaati said that we should find Link first."

"So, do we just have to drag Link around this maze until we find the girl?" Shadow Link demanded.

Navi and Midna exchanged glances.

"I guess so," Navi suggested.

"You'll have to carry him," Midna said.

"WHAT? Why should I have to carry that guy around?"

"Cause neither of us are big enough to carry him," Midna pointed out, sounding exasperated.

"That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard! How are we supposed to blend in if I'm carrying a dead-looking guy around on my back? And how am I gonna fight if I'm carrying this sack of potatoes? I'm tired enough as it is!" He gestured wildly at Link's still form.

"You should stop shouting," Midna said, examining her fingernails and sounding bored. "You don't want the bad guys to hear."


	20. The Triforce of Power

Chapter 20: The Triforce of Power

Medli sat back in the cave, her arms wrapped around her knees. She knew that if she'd gone into the tower that she'd only be a hindrance, but it felt horrible to be left behind.

_Sage…_

She sighed and let her head hang down. She wanted to do something to help.

_Young sage…_

Medli lifted her head and looked around. She thought she'd just heard someone speak. A distant, pleading voice.

"What?" she whispered. "Are you calling me?"

_Oh young sage of distant times, please come to our aid. _

"Who are you?"

_Like you, we are sages that keep peace in the land. Ganon holds us captive. _

"Where are you?" she asked, standing up.

_We will show you where we are. Follow our lead. We know a way where you will not be seen. _

"Right. I'm coming."

Medli felt a gentle tug in the back of her mind, leading her. She followed its guidance out of the cave to the plane of scattered stones. Following the route taken by the others, she ducked from boulder to boulder, hiding from the tower's view.

When she reached the base of the heavy stone tower, she felt herself guided upwards. She spread her wings and took to the air.

Following the invisible path, she ducked beneath a window, circled the tower to avoid a guard, and landed on a ledge to hide from a flying bat monster. She slowly circled higher and higher around the tower before she felt herself guided towards a window. It was narrow, but she was small enough to wriggle through it and plop onto the floor.

She stood up and her beak fell open. In front of her were six cylindrical glass tanks filled with translucent blue fluid. Suspended in each of the tanks was a motionless figure: A large man dressed in red, a woman in a blue suit, a young girl dressed in green, a Zora woman, a Goron, and a woman from the desert.

Medli knew instantly who they were. She'd learned about them when she'd awoken as the earth sage. These were the six sages who had sealed Ganon away long ago.

She clenched her fists and nodded, determined. She was going to help them.

…

Navi zoomed through the slightly ajar door and into the broom closet. It was in this closet that Shadow Link and Midna were currently hiding with the pale, unconscious Link. His left arm had been splinted to prevent further damage.

Navi sank to the floor, panting. "It almost _ate_ me! That stupid bird almost ate me!"

"Did you find her?" Midna asked.

"Yeah. Yeah I did. This girl is being held a few stories below us. But there were guards."

"What kind of guards?" Shadow Link asked.

"I couldn't stay to look at him. That was when the stupid bird monster saw me and tried to grab me. But that girl was there."

"Do we know who she is yet?" Shadow Link demanded.

"She looked like she was a Gerudo," Navi said. "She's about Link's age. And her name's Nabeen. That's really all we know about her."

"And so she's supposed to help us deal with this dead weight then, is she," Shadow Link mumbled, prodding Link's shoulder.

"Apparently."

"Back to the original question," Shadow Link said, "How do we get this guy to where the girl is? Can't we just leave him here while we go find the girl?"

"We can't leave him alone in a closet," Midna exclaimed. "THey'd just find him again.

"And Vaati told us to get him free first," Navi reminded him. "We're best off taking his advice. You'd better just carry him. At least we're going down instead of up."

"Yeah, and because we're going down, I'm more likely to fall head-first down the endless flight of stairs. And that still doesn't answer my question. Everyone's going to see me carrying Link around. There goes our disguise."

"Just drape your cloak over him. The monsters act weird enough that no one will notice." Midna shrugged.

Shadow Link stared at her.

And so, a few minutes later, Shadow Link could be found staggering down the spiral stone staircase looking oddly hunchbacked beneath his cloak. With Link draped across his back, he had to be very careful with every stair he descended. Falling was a very real danger. Navi bobbed ahead of him, leading the way. Midna was once again hiding with her shadow disguise.

Shadow Link was very glad not to meet any other enemies on the stairs, awkward as his position was. And he was grateful when Navi flitted through a door away from the spiral stair. A minute later, they stopped outside of a heavy wooden door.

"She's through here," Navi whispered. "Are you ready to fight?"

"Of course not," he hissed. "I'm completely exhausted! And I have nowhere to put this guy!"

"Sissy," Midna said, appearing once again.

"You're the one who keeps hiding!" Shadow Link said, a little too loudly.

"Shush. If you're ready to blow our cover with noise, then open the door and start fighting!"

And Midna reached out and pushed the door open.

Like all of the other rooms, this one was made of gray stone. Lights flickered from the ceiling. To the far end of the room there was a strange mechanical device with a large glass tank sitting on top of it. Floating inside the liquid-filled tank, her eyes closed and her hair drifting about her face, was Nabeen. She was a very pretty Gerudo girl, wearing the typical dress of her race.

In front of the tank was a table with chairs around it. There was a single person sitting at one of the chairs. He was wearing a black robe with blue markings on it. It was impossible to see what his face looked like because he was wearing a tall, pointed helmet. The front of it was featured like a face, complete with tongue sticking out.

Midna took an involuntary step forwards and clenched her fists.

"Zant," she growled, gritting her teeth.

The man with the helmet stood up and faced them. He gave a low hissing laugh. "Well, well. What an unexpected pleasure. A visit from the Twilight Princess herself."

An evil grin spread across Midna's face. "Don't worry about this fight, Shadow Link." She raised her fist before her. "This is a rematch I've been waiting for. You just worry about freeing that girl and looking after Link."

Shadow Link raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever."

"Watch yourself. The sparks are gonna fly this time," she said, grinning and narrowing her eyes in anticipation.

She floated forwards towards Zant and landed a few yards in front of him.

"I thought you figured out that Ganon was just using you," Midna scoffed. "Are you really stupid enough to follow him again?"

"Your taunts won't affect me, Midna. Or have you forgotten that you once nearly died at my hands?"

"And have you forgotten that I once killed you?" Midna snapped.

"And yet here I stand, alive, because of the power of my master. And you no longer have the Fused Shadows."

"That may be, but that curse you placed on me is long gone. I have my own powers back. The powers of the Twilight Princess." She held out her palm and a flickering ball of orange and black static sparked to life. Zant raised his arm to make a purple and black sphere of flame. Both of them launched their attacks at once. Midna flipped out of the way, landing several feet to the side. Zant had deflected Midna's attack. Shadow Link had to fall to the floor to avoid the attack.

He rolled to the side, behind a part of the machinery that kept Nabeen trapped in the class tank. He set Link on the floor out of the line of fire of the two fighting Twili. For good measure, he draped his cloak over Link.

Navi settled on Link's shoulder. "I'll keep an eye on him while you go help that Gerudo girl."

Shadow Link peeked out from behind the machine, looking for an opening to run towards the tank to free Nabeen. He quickly withdrew his head as a fragment of wood shot in his direction. The table had just been blown to pieces and the chairs scattered across the room. The two were darting around the room, shooting curses at each other. It was impossible to tell who was winning.

Shadow Link rolled out of his hiding place and drew his sword. He stood and faced the tank, wishing that he had a club. He swung his blade at the tank, but it bounced off without leaving a scratch. There was some sort of magic in the glass.

Shadow Link ducked beneath another stray attack and then sank his sword into the machinery. It started to crackle and spark. He struck again, and then a third time. There were a few loud pops and bangs and then the lights blinking among the buttons faded. He raised his sword again and swung once more at the glass tank. This time it cracked. He used the sword hilt to pound away at the crack, making it grow.

As he hammered away, Midna blocked one of Zant's attacks and finally one of hers connected, striking Zant's shoulder. He stumbled slightly, but straightened up a moment later.

"You keep strange company, Midna," he hissed softly. "Do you really think that Shadow Link is on your side? Has he given the Triforce back to the _real_ Link yet?" He blocked another attack from Midna. "You know it's true. He'll never return the Triforce. If he gives the Triforce away, he'll turn back into a shadow. He cares too much about saving his own skin to return the power. You can't trust him. And this girl you're here to save? Why do you think she'll help you? She's…"

"We're in the middle of a _battle_," Midna snarled. "You should PAY ATTENTION!"

She launched herself forwards, making a golden spear of light appear in her hands. Zant didn't react fast enough and the spear drove into him.

Zant doubled over and gave a hollow chuckle. "You won't win, Midna. You've as good as lost."

He sank to the ground and dissolved into particles of twilight.

Midna landed, panting heavily.

Shadow Link was still pounding against the glass with the hilt of his sword. It looked like the whole thing was about to break. Zant had been speaking softly enough that Shadow ink hadn't heard any of it.

He slammed the hilt down one last time and the front of the glass shattered, sending thick liquid pouring out over the machine and onto the floor. The girl came tumbling out of the tank. Before Shadow Link could jump out of the way, Nabeen's body crashed down on top of him and the two of them sprawled to the wet floor.

Growling and cursing, he pushed the unconscious girl off of him and sat up. He saw Midna staring at the floor where an empty helmet remained.

"Oh, you killed the guy," Shadow Link said. "Good."

Midna slowly turned her gaze to him. There was a pained expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Shadow Link asked. "Was he not someone that you wanted to kill?"

"No. Everything's just very complicated. What about that girl? Is she OK?"

"I guess. She's still asleep. Luckily we didn't fall in the broken glass."

Shadow Link lifted the girl over his shoulders and carried her over to what remained of the table top where she wasn't in danger of being cut. He then went and got Link out from behind the strange machine. Navi followed him as he set Link next to Nabeen.

"I think I know why we were supposed to get Link first," Navi said. "Ganon wasn't worried about Link escaping because he's under a curse. But this girl Nabeen is more heavily guarded. Someone will notice sooner if anything happened to her. We won't be safe here for much longer."

"How observant," Shadow Link scoffed. "So, she's not awake. What do we do? I can't carry them both out of here."

Shadow Link's eyes strayed to Nabeen's wrist. There was a faint mark on the back of her hand. He stepped forwards and grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing?" Navi exclaimed.

"Look at this," he said, holding her arm up and showing them the back of her hand. The faint mark of the Triforce was there, with the top triangle showing up the darkest. The Triforce of Power.


	21. Shadow's Flight

Yes, Nabeen is my own character. It always sort of bugs me that there's never been anyone to fill her role – a non-Ganon Triforce of Power person. It's also kind of unfair that power is always evil. Yeah, you definitely get that "power corrupts" but you also get people who do good things with their power.

I have such a freaking huge project due this week. O_O It's a relief to take a break from researching those dry research articles to write this.

Chapter 21: Shadow's Flight

"This girl has the Triforce of Power. Same as Ganon," Shadow Link snarled.

"But Ganon had her as a prisoner," Navi said. "So she can't be on his side…"

"She's probably a holder of the Triforce of Power during a time where Ganon doesn't exist. The Triforce changed hands over the generations, right? I doubt she has any connection to him at all."

"Then why would he want to kidnap her?" Navi asked.

Midna shrugged. "My guess is that he wanted to learn more about a person besides him who was marked with the symbol of Power.

The girl stirred and Shadow Link quickly dropped her hand. She opened her eyes. For a moment, she stared at Shadow Link, Midna, and Navi. Then she sat bolt upright.

"Who the heck are you?" she demanded, scrambling off of the table and onto the floor.

"We're the ones who just saved you," Shadow Link retorted.

"Don't mind him. He's been having a bad day," Midna said, smirking.

"_What_ the heck are you?" she said, looking at Midna.

"Actually, I think you'd get along really well with that guy," Midna said, jabbing her thumb at Shadow Link. "Both of you are very impolite."

"I'd like to see how you would act if you wake up and see weird people staring at you!"

"Trust me. Weirder has happened," Midna sighed, shrugging.

"I'm Navi," said the fairy, flying up to greet Nabeen.

"That's good to know," the girl replied absently.

"Do you know who Ganondorf is?" Shadow Link demanded.

Nabeen stared at him. "What kind of a name is that?"

"Do you know how you got here?" Midna asked.

Nabeen scowled. "Some guy kidnapped me. He knocked me unconscious when I was back in my village. But I don't know where we are now."

"And what about the mark on your hand?" Shadow Link persisted. "Do you know what it is?"

She narrowed her eyes. "It's just a birthmark. What's it to you?"

Shadow Link held up his hand, showing the similar mark on it. "It's the symbol of the Triforce. The power you have might be able to break the curse on this guy." He nodded to Link. "That's the only reason we're here."

"Don't listen to him," Navi exclaimed. "We wanted to help you too!"

Nabeen crossed her arms. "I didn't ask for help."

"We'll be happy to leave you here after you wake him up," Shadow Link retorted.

"Though you'll never get out on your own," Midna added. "And _you,"_ she said, turning to Shadow Link, "Stop being such a jerk and be quiet!"

"She's being a jerk too!"

"We need her help and she needs ours," Midna replied calmly. "Be quiet for once."

He scowled, but didn't say anything. He stomped over to the door to keep a lookout.

"I'm Midna. And that charming guy is Shadow Link," Midna explained. "He's actually the living shadow of Link, who we need to wake up. He was cursed by the same person who kidnapped you."

"Please help us," Navi pleaded.

Nabeen looked back and forth between the two of them. "You say you can get us out of here?"

"If we can get out of this tower before the bad guys catch us, then yeah. So we don't have much time left."

Nabeen looked over at Link. "I don't know that much about curses. I've never taken one off of someone before."

"Try. Please try," Navi begged.

Nabeen watched the fairy, as if trying to make up her mind.

"Fine. I'll give it a try. And once we're out of this place, you tell me what the heck is going on and why this guy kidnapped me."

She stepped over to where Link was lying and placed the hand with the Triforce symbol on his forehead. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. After a minute, the Triforce mark began to glow. She held her hand there for a very long time. Long enough that the others began to get nervous that the enemy would find them.

"I think the color's starting to come back to his face," Navi whispered.

"His breathing is stronger too," Midna commented.

"Well, that's all I can do," Nabeed said, finally lifting her hand off of Link's forehead. "If that doesn't do it, then I don't know what will. He feels warmer though."

"Thanks," Navi said gratefully.

"Shh," Midna said, holding out her hand.

Everyone fell silent as Link's face twitched. And then he slowly opened his eyes.

"Liiiink," Navi cried softly, flitting forwards to snuggle against his neck.

Link blinked a few times. From his angle, he couldn't see the others around him, only the ceiling. He raised his good hand to touch Navi's wings.

"Hi." He tried to sit up, but grimaced in pain as he tried to move his left arm.

"Careful," Midna cautioned. "You're probably still weak."

Link turned his head and caught sight of Midna. The sight of the strange imp made him jump and gasp in pain again.

"See. You're scaring him," Shadow Link smirked.

"When it comes down to it, you're scarier than I am," Midna retorted, grinning.

"Thanks," Shadow Link said, placing his hands on his hips and standing tall. Obviously this was taken as a compliment.

Link slowly took in the people around him. Nabeen was standing behind the others, silently watching the scene.

"I'm glad you're OK," Navi sighed, taking to the air again.

"Me too," Link replied.

Midna stepped up beside him and placed a hand beneath his back to help him sit up. "You two are pathetic," Midna scolded Shadow Link and Nabeen. "I'm the smallest one here except for her," she waved at Navi, "And I'm the one who has to help him up."

Nabeen shrugged. "I don't even know him."

"I ain't into that," Shadow Link replied casually.

Link glanced down at his splinted arm hanging from a sling, and then glanced around the battered room about him.

He smiled. "Thanks guys." He turned to Shadow Link gave a nod of appreciation. "I'm glad you came back."

"This is no time to get all mushy," Shadow Link snapped. "I only came because we need you. And you'd better be able to walk, cause I gotta fight and I ain't carrying you any further."

"That means that he already carried you a heckuva long way," Midna laughed.

"I think he's nicer than he pretends," Navi laughed. She felt lighter than she had in days now that Link was safe.

"Pfft," Shadow Link snorted. "Let's hurry up and get out of here." He snatched up his cloak and chucked it at Link. "Put that on to hide yourself. Too bad we don't have more cloaks. But I guess our cover's about to be blown anyway. We gotta get out of here as fast as possible."

Link carefully put his feet under him and stood. He looked rather wobbly, but managed to keep from falling. "I don't think I'll be much use in a fight till this heals," he admitted, looking at his arm.

"Leave that to me," Shadow Link said, grinning and patting the hilt of his sword. "I got it covered. I still got our secret weapon." Though he didn't say it, by "our," he meant he and Link.

Navi darted into Link's hood, and Midna took the opportunity to hide herself in Nabeen's shadow. Shadow Link pulled his hat down over his face partway for some minimal amount of camouflage. The others turned to Nabeen. She stood out quite vividly in her Gerudo garb.

"What?" she demanded in response to their stares.

Link started to walk towards the door but trembled and almost fell.

"All right! All right!" Nabeen shouted. She stomped up to Link and pulled his good arm around her shoulder. "I'll help you walk. And I guess I should do this too." She grabbed part of the black cloak Link was now wearing and pulled it over herself so she was hidden too.

"Good plan," Midna said from the shadows. "Let's get going."

Shadow Link led the way out the door, and Nabeen and Link followed at a slow shuffle.

They reached the stairs without incident and made their way downwards. They were about half way down when a sudden high-pitched shriek echoed throughout the halls of the tower.

Everyone flinched and Shadow Link and Nabeen clapped their hands over their ears (Link couldn't because both his arms were occupied).

"An alarm," Shadow Link shouted. "They must have found out what we did! Hurry! We gotta get out of here!"

"Too late," Nabeen commented.

As the sound of the alarm died away, it was replaced by shouts, grunts, and screeches as each door to the stairwell was suddenly a floodgate to a stream of monsters.

"Pff. Here we go." Shadow Link reached down to his belt and unclipped one of the masks. He placed it to his face.

A gasp escaped him and he doubled over, gritting his teeth as the magic of the mask spread through him. Suddenly he stood up straight, threw his head back, and let out a long yell. Link, Nabeen, Navi and Midna watched as Shadow Link grew in height and his tunic became a black suit of armor. Markings spread across his pale face and the color of his eyes vanished.

The transformation complete, his body relaxed He reached to the scabbard and drew his sword. But it too had changed. Two blades twisted together in a double helix shape, creating a long, wide, sharp weapon.

Although Link had undergone the transformation by the Fierce Deity Mask once before, he'd never witnessed anyone else go through it. It was impressive and terrifying at the same time.

That was when the monsters appeared. A wave of sword-wielding skeletons –stalfos- charged up the stairs at them. As they rounded the nearest twist of the spiral stairs, Shadow Deity Link swung his sword, sending out a flash of blue sparks. The disk of fire slashed through the stalfos, and the bones disintegrated into dust.

Shadow Link charged forwards to the remaining Stalfos that had evaded him. The Deity sword slashed through the stalfos swords as though they were no more than dry branches.

Nabeen and Link descended the stairs as fast as they could, trying to keep up with Shadow Link.

"People coming from behind," Midna announced, pulling herself out of Nabeen's shadow.

A Bokoblin hopped down the stairs and jumped at Link and Nabeen.

Nabeen threw the cloak off of herself, drawing a knife from a hilt at her waist. In one fluid motion, she leapt up several stairs and swung her arm, striking her enemy down. Moving with the grace of a dancer, she jumped down the stairs to rejoin Link and help him along.

"I am currently incredibly grateful for how good Gerudo are at fighting," Link said thankfully.

"No doubt," Nabeen commented.

Ahead of them, Shadow Link had used his sword to demolish another wave of enemies. There were more coming up at them, and Nabeen had to continually turn to remove an enemy sneaking up from behind. Midna was also using her twilight magic to slow the foes that Nabeen missed. Every second there seemed to be more of them.

Link limped down several stairs, feeling incredibly vulnerable without any weapon of his own. But at least he was regaining coordination in his legs. Nabeen and Midna caught up with him and they found Shadow Link caught up in another mob of wizzrobes.

"We're almost to the bottom," Midna shouted.

"But listen," Nabeen shouted over the din of the fight. "The stairs below us must be full of monsters. How long will it take us to get out?"

"What if they find Medli before we get there?" Navi asked, worried. "Now that the alarm's raised, they might start searching outside the tower to find out how we got in."

"I have an idea," Midna shouted as more Wizzrobes descended on them. "It might work, might not. Hey, Shadow Link, clear the area for a moment. I've never tried this with so many people, so we want to make sure the place is clear of monsters."

"Then you'd better duck," he shouted.

They didn't need telling twice. Nabeen and Link dropped flat against the stairs and Midna landed besides them.

Shadow Link whirled around in a spin attack. The stairway was narrow enough that the tip of the sword cut through part of the wall, but it worked. A shock wave of blue sparks radiated out from him. The attack slashed through every surrounding foe, leaving them, for the moment, free.

"Quick. Gather around me," Midna demanded.

No one argued. Midna took a deep breath and spread her arms.

They heard footsteps and a team of moblins rounded the corner. Shadow Link raised his sword, but suddenly found his body frozen. And a moment later, his body bean to dissolve into particles of twilight magic.

The nearest moblin lowered its spear and charged, but his weapon hit thin air.

…

A moment later, their group reappeared again right outside the cave where Medli was waiting. Once they had all materialized again, Shadow Link pulled off the Fierce Deity mask and his body returned to normal. He gasped, "What the heck was that?"

"Warping," Midna said, shrugging. "I wasn't sure how it would work without a portal, but my magic's better now, so I guess it worked. We didn't end up stuck inside a rock or anything."

"Wait. You didn't know where we'd come out?" Shadow Link shouted.

"Nope. But I hoped it would be here. Come on. Let's get out of here."

Nabeen and Link followed them into the tunnel, and Navi finally emerged from Link's pocket. And as they rounded the bend, Shadow Link came to an abrupt halt, making Nabeen swerve to avoid crashing into him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Shadow Link shouted, astonished.

In addition to the single bird girl they'd left behind, there were now six other people in the cave as well. All of them were people hat Navi, Link, and Shadow Link recognized all too well. The six sages: Saria, Ruto, Darunia, Impa, Nabooru, and Rauru. Several of them gave shouts of relief to see that Link was safe.

"You guys…" Link said, at a loss for words.

Medli gave an embarrassed wave of her hand.

"Did you do this?" Midna laughed.

Medli gave a small nod. "Yeah. I found them in the tower."

"_You _went in the tower?" Shadow Link spluttered. "How did you get out with all these people?"

"I got us out," Impa said. Shadow Link recalled the magic she'd once used to make herself disappear. A trick later imitated by Sheik.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Shadow Link broke in, quickly getting over his shock. "But we can't stay here." He looked up at the endless black ceiling. "VAATI! HEY, VAATI! We're done! Now get us out of here before the bad guys find us!"

Everyone crammed together so they could fit everyone into the small cave as they waited for Vaati to bring them back up to the surface. The seconds seemed to stretch endlessly. Shadow Link opened his mouth to shout again, but suddenly they all found themselves getting sucked upwards through pitch blackness.

A minute later, a crack of light appeared above them and all of them came tumbling out into daylight once more. Shadow Link and everyone else was sent sprawling onto dry grass.

The chasm in the earth sealed itself once more.

Vaati raised his eyebrows as he eyed the sizeable crowd in front of him. "What in Sacred Realms have you been doing in there? Where did all of these people come from? No wonder it was so hard getting you all out of there. I wasn't expecting to lift twenty people."

Volvagia looked quite surprised to see them as well. He floated down to get a closer look.

"Dragon!" Darunia shouted, pushing Nabooru out of the way and balling up his fist.

"Wait! He's on our side," Medli shouted.

"And watch where you're pushing," Nabooru said, picking herself up off the ground again.

Darunia didn't look completely convinced, but didn't say anything else.

Link's mouth was open slightly as he looked at the dragon that had once been his friend.

"This is all very interesting," Midna said, pushing one of Ruto's flippers off of herself and standing up, "but we should probably get out of here ASAP. The enemy's on our tail, and it won't take them long to come up here looking for us."

"Right. We'll have to find a safe place so I can make arrangements to take us through time." Vaati was still eying the strange crew with a raised eyebrow. "Follow me. I know a place." He turned and strode off.

"I guess now's not the time to exchange greetings," Link said apologetically to all of his old friends as he limped along with them, "but it is good to see you all again."

Saria beamed at him.

Volvagia glided down beside Link.

"Ride," the dragon said.

Link paused and slowly placed his hand on Volvagia's neck.

"How are you alive?" he whispered.

"We'll explain everything later," Navi said.

Link pulled himself onto Volvagia's back, and they flew along next to the rest of the group. They hurried through a trail carved deep into the cliff, away form the dry field that hid Ganon's lair.

Link gave a small laugh. "I guess a lot has happened since I got captured, huh?"

"I'd say so," Midna agreed, floating up beside Link. "A fascinating tale that you get to look forward to."

Link smiled. "Yeah."

Vaati turned down a fork in the trail and they ended up in a small sheltered cove of stone.

Everyone huddled into the rocky space.

"Quick head count, "Vaati called. "Is everyone here?"

Everyone looked around and muttered among themselves.

The six sages were all accounted for. Saria ended up riding on Darunia's back since she was having trouble keeping up. Link, Volvagia, Navi and Midna were suspended in the air directly above the others. Medli was up next to Vaati.

A hush fell over the crowd.

Someone was missing.

A buzz began to spread among them, growing more panicked by the second.

He was gone.

Shadow Link was gone.


	22. The Great Gathering

Lot's of people! I have this thing. See, I love when everyone's united ad you run into all the old friends you loved throughout a series (I just finished listening to the end of Harry Potter 7 on CD-they do an AWESOME job of making that big reunion. I LOVE IT!

Ask if you want me to identify anyone.

Chapter 22: The Great Gathering

"Where's he gone?" Midna shouted. "We can't sit around and wait for him!"

"Then don't," Nabeen replied. "Let's go!"

"Was he captured?" Link asked. "Did he make it out of the cave with us?"

"He did," Navi shouted. "I saw him land with the rest of us!"

There was another volley of sound. Then a very quiet voice piped up from the din.

"I saw what happened," Medli squeaked. "Back… back where the path forked, he fell back and took the other trail."

Volvagia hung his head. Midna, Navi, and Link were silent. They'd been hoping that Shadow Link was truly on their side. And now he'd run away, taking the Triforce of Courage with him. The mark of courage borne away by a coward.

"You didn't stop him?" Midna said coldly.

"I-I didn't know he would run away," Medli whispered. "I didn't… I didn't…" She trailed off, not sure how to finish.

"It's not her fault," Link said softly.

"He probably went back to help the enemy," Nabeen commented off-handedly.

"He was a jerk, but I don't think he'd do that," Navi muttered."

"I agree," Link muttered almost to himself. "I think he was afraid."

"Why would he be afraid?" Darunia bellowed. "He was safest with us!"

Link shook his head. "I think that he was afraid of me. He might have been afraid that I'd take the Triforce of Courage away from him, and his freedom along with it."

"And now he'll probably get caught, and kill us all!" Nabooru cried.

"This is all fascinating," Vaati shouted," but we have to get out of here. Now. We can't wait around for that guy. If there's no further objections, I'm going to complete the spell."

Everyone fell silent.

"Okay," Vaati continued. "Then lets be on our way."

Vaati began speaking strange words and making gestures with his hands. A bubble appeared around the large groups, with symbols etched across its surface. There was a rushing sound, and the party vanished.

…

Panting and staggering along as fast as he could, Shadow Link rushed down the crooked, uneven trail. When the last of his strength was spent, he sank behind a rock, gasping and shivering.

He buried his face in his hands, the Triforce mark standing out clearly on his pale skin.

…

Suspended in the air was a circular wall of light with spiraling markings shaded into it. It was a strange flat surface, floating unsupported by anything. Its surface rippled, as though someone had thrown a large stone into the center of a pond. And then the wall of light expanded slightly and sunk back down again to reveal a small black and white imp with an orange ponytail.

"Aah, good to be home," Midna sighed happily, turning a sort of pirouette as she hovered in the air.

The hanging surface of the Mirror of Twilight expanded and contracted again, and Link limped in with Navi on his shoulder. Volvagia followed a moment later, then Medli, Nabeen, and the six sages.

They gathered in the square outside of the palace of twilight.

Vaati had taken them all back to Midna's time, and dropped them off at Arbiter's Grounds. Then he'd left to return to his post "guarding" the Master Sword. Midna had activated the Mirror of Twilight and let the group into the alternate dimension.

Soon enough, Link would go to meet with Vaati again and claim the Master Sword. But before then, he needed to let his arm heal, and their group needed to meet up with the army that was gathering at the meeting place here in the Twilight Realm.

Link placed his hands on Volvagia's neck to steady himself as he looked around.

The Twilight Realm was very quiet with a soft golden sky and billowing dark clouds. Flecks of twilight magic drifted about the air.

Something about that light felt… peaceful.

"So, where's this army?" Nabeen demanded.

"Around the other side of the palace," Midna replied. "Follow me." Midna floated forwards a bit before pausing to wait for the others to follow.

Volvagia lowered his head, offering his neck for Link to ride on.

"That's OK," Link said, scratching Volvagia around the horns. "I can walk." But he let Volvagia support him as he moved along.

Midna led the little band around the perimeter of the castle. They passed by a few other Twili, who waved cheerily at them as the passed, and bowed to Midna, their queen.

"Are they going to help us fight too?" Medli asked, looking at the strange Twilight beings.

"A few of them," Midna replied. "But most Twili can't survive in the light world, so only those we can protect through magic will come to help us fight. Actually, most of the rendezvous point is surrounded by magic to protect the people from the light world from the Twilight. My magic is protecting the rest of you right now. Trying to protect as large numbers of Twili from the Light would be near to impossible in the midst of a battle. Now we're able to focus all of our magic to the barrier."

They rounded the back of the palace and came in sight of a large field of pale blue grass dotted about with black and red flowers. The entire field was filled with tents, campfires, and people.

Sparkling fairies fluttered here and there. Heavy set Gorons stomped about. Sleek Zoras sat at the edge of a small Twilit pool. Small Deku scrubs bounced between the legs of tethered horses. Koroks and Kokiri were helping to set up a few extra tents. Winged Rito soared back and forth, distributing food and supplies. There were even several monkeys, a large owl, a kangaroo, a blue winged bear, and an armored red crocodile-like creature.

"There's so many of them!" Medli gasped. "Have we really been gone long enough for them to find so many people?"

"They're probably flowing on a different time than we are," said the sage Rauru. "They may have passed more time that we."

Medli and the six sages headed off to search for the people they knew, or for ways to help. Link, Navi, Volvagia and Midna headed down towards the crowd as well. Nabeen followed, looking uncertain.

Din, Tatl, Tael, and Sheik were nearest them, bending over a table spread with papers.

Sheik caught sight of them: the Sheik who was truly the Zelda from Midna's time. He approached them and nodded in greeting.

Link's jaw dropped at the sight of a familiar face, though it didn't take him long to remember that this Sheik was not the one he had once been friends with.

"We have gathered everyone we could find," Sheik informed them. "Thank you again, Midna, for offering your palace as a camp."

"Well, thanks for finding so many people," Midna replied. "Looks like Link makes lots of friends no matter when he lives!"

Sheik glanced back after the six sages. "I didn't see Shadow Link arrive with you." A chilly silence descended over them. Sheik didn't need to hear anymore. "I see. I suppose he still has the Triforce then?" Midna nodded. "Whatever his motivations… let us pray that he manages to keep the Triforce away from Ganon."

"Do you have any healers?" Navi asked. "Link hurt his arm."

"Of course," Sheik said. "Come with me." He led them through the base, weaving around tents and occupants.

"This is a strange bunch of people," Midna said, eyebrows raised.

Anju had a pen full of clucking Coccos. A man Link recognized as Kafei was helping her scatter grain for the birds. The two of them paused and beamed at each other. Link felt a happy warmth spread through him. He was glad that the two of them had finally got together.

Several heavy brown boars snuffled about in the dirt, with one huge white hog towering over them. A girl in a black dress flew overhead, riding a broomstick. What looked like a Poe vanished through one of the tent walls. A hawk perched on the top pole of one of the huts, its head tilting back and forth as it examined the activity below. A large gray bird preened its wing as it sat on the ground nearby. Two large white yetis sat together, boiling what looked like soup over a fire.

Link couldn't help but smile. Even though he'd never seen most of these people, he felt connected to them somehow. As though everyone here were kindred spirits.

They passed a small band of Sheikah and Gerudo that stood practicing archery and swordplay off to the side.

Nabeen paused to watch them for a moment before following the others. "You still haven't told me what's going on."

"I need an update too," Link added.

"Good point," Midna agreed. "We'd better explain the basics first. So, you know about the different parts of the Triforce, right?"

"Some of it," Nabeen agreed. "I've heard that my mark represents power."

"That's right," Midna replied. "Now, Ganon, the man who kidnapped you, also has the Triforce of Power. His grip on the Triforce is so strong that he's managed to return to power several times over the ages. And he always tries to steal the symbols of wisdom and courage as well. Luckily, those who bear the other marks are strong as well. Ganon has not yet united all three parts of the Triforce. So, over the ages, Wisdom and Courage have been passed down to those who worthy."

"So, what about Power?" Nabeen asked. Her curiosity was great enough that she decided to be polite.

"None of us really know what the Power Triforce does between generations," Navi sighed. "I've never heard of anyone else having the Triforce of Power besides Ganon."

Midna took up the flow again. "You probably inherited it at a time when Ganon was sealed the deepest. A time when the Triforce had to find a new master. Ganon probably never thought that anyone else was worthy to bear the power he thought was his own. It might even have been jealousy that made him kidnap you."

"Pff," Nabeen snorted. "I can't wait to get my hands on this guy."

"I'd better ask this now," Midna said, stopping directly in front of Nabeen. Sheik paused, and Link, Navi, and Volvagia turned to watch.

"Are you with us?"

Nabeen placed her hand on her hip and glared at Midna. "I still don't know what's going on. But I'll tell you this. Ganon will be sorry he messed with me, and I stand by anyone who helps me. That good enough for you, tiny?"

Midna smirked. "I guess we'll find out."

"So," Nabeen continued," why is Ganon so much more dangerous this time than all the other times he's been around?"

"Because now he has control over time, and he's imprisoned everyone who's ever held the Triforces of wisdom and courage. Luckily, Sheik and Shadow Link were able to smuggle the powers of one Wisdom mark and Courage mark out. And you have brought Power to us. Except now Shadow Link's gone."

"Were you planning on uniting the Triforce?" Nabeen asked.

"It wasn't part of the plan, no," Navi said.

"But the individual Triforces would definitely help in the fight," Midna commented. "It might even help us free some of the other Links and Zeldas. We need to rescue the rest of Ganon's prisoners. He has some of the other sages captured as well, and maybe others that we don't know about."

"Why doesn't he try to unite all the different Triforces he has trapped?" Nabeen asked.

"Good question," Navi agreed.

"He only has one Triforce of Power," Link said slowly. "Maybe he wants specific pieces of Wisdom and Courage to accompany it."

"But they're all the same, aren't they?" Midna asked.

"I… don't know," Link admitted. "It's possible that their power varies depending on who is holding the Triforce. Shadow Link may have the Courage Triforce that he wants most. Though I don't know which Wisdom one he favors…"

"Do you think Shadow Link is making the Triforce of power weaker?" Navi asked softly.

"I don't know what Ganon thinks about that," Link sighed.

"So, there's a lot you don't' know, isn't there?" Nabeen scoffed.

"We know more than you do," Midna retorted.

"We're here," Sheik said, interrupting the rest of them. They turned to face him. He was standing in front of a tent, holding the flap open for them. Link and Navi went inside.

Link blinked in surprise. Sitting in the middle of the tent was a small girl holding a doll of a fairy. She smiled at them.

"Hi!"

"Uh, hi," Link said.

Navi landed on the floor in front of the little girl, who laughed and touched the fairy's wings.

"What are you doing, Navi?" Link asked.

"This is the fairy queen," Navi whispered. She was bowing.

Link blinked in surprise and looked up at the little girl.

"Can you fix Link's arm?" Navi asked. "He needs to be able to draw the Master Sword."

"Right," Link said. "We have to meet Vaati soon. And then we can go after Ganon."

"Sounds fun!" said the little fairy queen. "Come up here."

Link moved closer to the fairy and did his best to show her his broken arm. She reached out and took his arm. Link flinched, but didn't pull away. She ran her fingers over the splint and the sling, feeling the bone beneath.

"I can fix it most of the way, but you'll want to stay here for a few days at least. You'll need to let it finish healing on its own. And you'll need to build up the strength in your arm again."

She placed her small hands on either side of the break and closed her eyes. Her hands emitted a faint blue glow. Link felt both a coolness and warmth spread through his arm. It felt wonderful and refreshing.

"There," she said. "Keep it in the sling a little longer though."

"Thanks," Link said gratefully, experimentally flexing his fingers and very slightly bending his elbow.

"Thank you, Great Fairy!" Navi chimed.

They left the tent and met up with the others.

"I think," Sheik said," that we should gather together the group that's most involved with the plan and exchange as much information as we can. Come. There is a large tent we can meet in."


	23. The Traitor

I've been waiting to write the first part of this chapter for a while! Aah! Vaati!

Chapter 23: The Traitor

"You called for me, Lord Ganon," Vaati said, kneeling and bowing his head.

He and Ganon were in the entrance to Ganon's underground tower. Like everything else in the chamber, the room was made of heavy stone. A large, ugly chandelier-like fixture hung from the ceiling to cast light in the dark fort.

Ganon turned to face Vaati and gave one of his crooked smiled. "Yes, Vaati. I'm glad you came so promptly."

"Of course. But I do hope it won't take too much time. The Master Sword remains unguarded as long as I am here." He stood up, but this hardly made a difference since Ganon was so much taller than him.

"There's no need to worry about that," Ganon said very calmly. "You won't have to worry about guarding the Master Sword any longer."

A shock of alarm ran through Vaati, though he didn't let it show on his face. Ganon was replacing him as the guardian? That wasn't good. Link would go to the ruins expecting Vaati to hand the sword to him. Instead Link would be facing some unknown enemy.

"I trust I'm being promoted to a more interesting position," Vaati said, keeping his voice steady.

"Hmm. Actually, I had some questions for you."

"Ah?"

"I'm sure you heard about the break-out of several of my prisoners a couple of days ago."

"I didn't receive much news when I was in the ruins," Vaati lied, trying to remain calm. It was unnerving that Ganon would be asking him about the breakout since Vaati himself had helped bring it about. "Who escaped?"

"No one that can't be recaptured. They may even lead us to other pathetic lowlifes who think they can interfere with my plan. In fact, they've already revealed a traitor in our midst."

Alarm shot through Vaati again. But he continued to keep his face passive. There was still a chance that Ganon didn't know who the traitor was. If Vaati reacted, he would surely give himself away.

"Who, my lord?" He asked, fighting very hard to keep his nervousness from escaping in his voice.

Ganon smiled again, a terrifying expression that would have made anyone else run out the door. Vaati didn't run, but he started to become very worried. He ran through several magic spells in his mind, trying to decide what would be best for the situation.

"Tell me, Vaati. What do you know of Nabeen and Shadow Link?"

Vaati's insides froze. Ganon knew.

Vaati raised his hands to perform a spell, but Ganon was faster. Before Vaati knew what had happened, A vice-like hand closed around his throat and he was slammed back against the wall. His head cracked painfully against the stone.

Vaati's fingers pried at Ganon's hand, trying to loosen the grip that was slowly suffocating him. But Ganon was too strong. Vaati's breath came in rasping gasps, and his vision started to blur. But he could still see Ganon's face, smiling in a cruel way, like a rabid wolf about to break the neck of its victim.

"No traitor will escape his due punishment," Ganon said very softly. "When I'm through with you, you'll wish that someone had stepped on you when you were the size of a bug. Because your fate will be much, much worse."

Vaati fought for the next breath, unable even to cough. His hands, powerless to loosen the fist pinning him to the wall, fell limp to his sides. He didn't see the chandelier above them give a small lurch. His vision was fading fast.

Suddenly there was a mighty crash. Fragments of chain and glass flew in every direction. Vaati found himself dumped in a heap on the floor. Oxygen flooded his body, and he drank great mouthfuls of it. His sight and the feeling in his limbs returned.

The chandelier had fallen on Ganon. He could see the twisted wreckage lying over the dark robes of the man. But there was something else in the chandelier too. Small shapes were hopping off of the bent frame: tiny little creatures with feathery tails and small colorful hats.

Then the chandelier moved again. Ganon was standing up. The wreckage of the light fixture fell off of him and clattered to the floor. He brushed himself off as though nothing more than a speck of dust had hit him. When he looked up, Vaati had gone.

…

"You shouldn't strain yourself, Link," Navi said.

Link was doubled over, breathing hard. Sweat poured down his face and his recently recovered arm was trembling slightly. For the past couple days, he's been training endlessly to try to build up his strength again. The curse that Ganon had placed on him had weakened him.

"I have to get back in shape," Link panted. "We're going to strike in just a few days, and I can barely complete one of my practice forms without breaking into a sweat."

"You should listen to her," said Sheik, stepping into the practice field. "If you hurt yourself again, we'll have to delay our attack. And you can't be tired for when we go after the Master Sword."

"But Vaati's there," Navi said. "So we won't have to worry about fighting anyone."

"Possibly," Sheik said, "but we shouldn't let our defenses down. Vaati may not be the only person defending the Master Sword. Ganon will do anything to prevent us from reaching the sword. He probably didn't have it as heavily guarded when Navi went there with Shadow Link. But now that one of his original Link foes is free, he'll may have made the guard much stronger. Vaati may be able to help, but I doubt he can do everything for us. He is already risking a great deal by acting the double agent."

"Midna says that she'll come with me too," Link said.

"Nabeen wants to come. And I will be accompanying you as well," Sheik said.

"Me too!" Navi exclaimed.

Link smiled. "Thanks guys. I appreciate it."

"What about Nabeen though?" Navi asked. "Is it OK for her to come with us? I mean, we really don't know anything about her, and she has the Triforce of Power, same as Ganon. She may be as bad as him, and is just hiding it. Remember Ganon? When he first arrived in Hyrule, he was a trusted advisor of the king. And… and we trusted Shadow Link and he ran away with the Triforce of Courage. We still don't know why he did it…"

"Did anyone really trust him though?" Sheik asked.

Navi was silent.

"I trusted him enough to send him for help," Link said. "I… I _did_ trust him."

"Probably more than the rest of us," Navi sighed.

"That may have been one of the reasons he ran away," Sheik offered.

"How's that?" Navi asked.

"It might make sense if my theory is correct," Link said slowly. "If he really _did_ leave because he was afraid to turn back into a shadow."

"And if he didn't run to join Ganon," Navi muttered.

"If no one trusted him, he had no reason to believe that we'd let him stay around," Link continued. "He probably thought we'd turn him back into a shadow as soon as possible."

"Would you have?" Sheik asked. "Would you have taken the Triforce back and returned him to shadow form?"

"I… don't know," Link admitted. "I didn't really get a chance to think about it."

"Although you didn't deny the idea outright," Sheik pointed out.

"Are you saying we should trust Nabeen?" Navi asked.

"I'm saying you shouldn't be too quick to mistrust. Link, you should take a rest so you're not too tired when we leave tomorrow." Sheik turned and left the training field.

"See," Navi scolded, "you need to get your rest. Let's go get something to eat."

"All right, all right," Link said, sheathing his sword.

"I wonder if Malon will give us a bottle of Lonlon milk?"


	24. The New Guardian

Has anyone seen Princess Mononoke? You know the demon boar? The strange tentacle things on its body probably influenced this chapter a lot.

I love Miyazaki's movies. Anyone here agree with me? If you don't agree, go watch some of them! (I'd be happy to suggest some. Howl's Moving Castle might be my favorite, but it's hard to choose). The only reason I haven't done a fanfic on any of his movies is that I don't feel I could do them justice ^-^'

Chapter 24: The New Guardian

"I just realized," Link said, "I'm surrounded by girls. Even Sheik is Princess Zelda in disguise."

Several faces turned to him: Midna, Nabeen, Navi, and Sheik.

"Did it take you that long to figure it out?" Nabeen scoffed.

"For all purposes, I am, at the moment, male," Sheik said.

"I can hide in someone's shadow if you like," Midna suggested sarcastically.

"I was just commenting," Link said, shrugging.

"Well, stop commenting," Nabeen said. "We're almost there. Pay attention to your surroundings."

"Are you sure your arm's better?" Navi asked.

Link nodded. "Pretty sure. I feel in pretty good shape too."

"Vaati should be expecting us," Sheik said. "If all goes well, no one will need to fight."

"That's why Medli wanted to come," Navi sighed. "She's been with us the whole time so far, so she was sad that she had to stay behind."

"She can't fight though," Nabeen said. "If we do get into trouble, she'd only be in the way."

"That's what Shadow Link kept telling her too," Navi sighed.

"You seem sad that our old group broke up," Midna noted. "All the people you were traveling with before Shadow Link ran away."

"Well, yeah," Navi admitted.

"They'll play their part before long," Midna said, shrugging. "It's not like they're all gone."

"One of them is," Navi murmured.

This comment made everyone fall silent.

"We should be careful from here on out," Midna said after a while. "There were redeads around when we came here before.

The group stopped for a minute. They were nearing the deepest part of the forest – the forest from Midna's time where Shadow Link had tried and failed to draw the Master Sword. Link had used a hookshot (provided by one of their allies back at camp) to cross the ravine that lead into the heart of the forest. Nabeen and Sheik had climbed across the extended chin, and Midna and Navi simply flew across.

"I'll check ahead," Midna said. She hopped up into the air and peered over a rise of earth in front of them. She came back a moment later.

"It's completely deserted. All of the redeads are gone. But I don't see Vaati either.

"Maybe he's hiding," Navi suggested, not sounding entirely convinced with the explanation.

"I don't like it," Nabeen stated flatly. "Your friend should be here to meet us if he's planning on helping. Maybe he'll turn on us and do a sneak attack. Are you sure you can trust him?"

The others exchanged glances. No, they _weren't_ sure that they could trust Vaati. But he had helped them before…

"I smell a trap," Nabeen concluded confidently.

"It's possible," Sheik agreed. "Things don't feel right."

"So, what do we do?" Midna asked. "Run away? That doesn't sound like my kind of plan.

"Whether or not it's a trap," Link said, "we still have to go. We need the sword. And maybe if there is a trap, it won't be set for so many of us."

"Sounds fun," Midna said, grinning.

Nabeen shrugged. "Whatever. I've never been opposed to a fight."

"While I don't' enjoy fighting for fighting's sake, I will fight for what's important," Sheik added.

"And I'll do what I can!" Navi chimed in.

Link nodded. "Thanks guys. Okay. Let's see what's ahead of us."

They continued up the trail, moving cautiously, all senses on alert. Then the clearing came into view. And there was the Master Sword, sunk into its pedestal.

Sheik dashed ahead, moving quickly and motionlessly. He circled the clearing, examining the immediate area for enemies. Then he beckoned to the others.

Link looked at the ruins around him as he walked towards the Master Sword. The broken walls and cracked floor- could this be the remains of the Temple of Time he once knew? It was, in a way, sad to see it reduced to this state.

The others lined up behind him, watching as Link stepped up to the sword and reached his hand towards the hilt.

"AAAHHHHHHH!" Navi shouted suddenly.

Link spun around in time to see a dark-colored vine hanging from one of the trees above. It looked like it was swaying in the wind.

But there was no wind.

Nabeen turned and slashed her knife up, severing the vine. There was a horrible hissing sound and the remainder of the vine withdrew up into the trees. Link glanced down at the end of the vine that flopped to the ground. The tip of it was flat and circular and had something like an eye pattern on it. It twitched a couple times, and then lay still.

Then another of the black vines dropped from the forest canopy, reaching towards the Master Sword. Link backed away, drawing the sword he'd brought with him. The others took battle stances. Sheik knocked an arrow to his bow.

And a moment later, the air was alive with writhing tentacles that lashed out, reaching for the group below.

Link swung his sword, connecting with one of the largest tentacles. Nabeen's knife was a blurred ark in the air, and she dodged between the black ropes, cutting every one that was within reach. Midna, small as she was, was able to dodge most of them, and she shot twilight bolts in rapid succession.

Sheik paused, aiming his bow upwards. It would do no good to attack the tentacles. They had to attack the source of the problem. He stepped to the side to avoid a flailing vine and stared up into the tree, trying to find something to shoot at.

There. Something that was a lighter color than the leaves of the tree. It had just moved.

Sheik took steady aim, and then loosed his arrow.

There was a horrible squealing, snarling sound and the tentacles lashed out fiercely. Then they withdrew and clamped onto low tree branches and parts of the broken wall. Then something large, bulbous, and acid green lowered itself down from the tree and landed with a thud in front of the Mater Sword. A toothed mouth opened up, revealing a large yellow eye. A moment later, it closed, shutting the eye behind the protective lid.

It was the monster Bellum.

Then the tentacles all shot forwards. Link leapt to the side, only to realize too late that they were aiming for Sheik.

Sheik loosed another arrow, but it was lost in the seething black mass that was headed for him. He reached for another arrow, but was too late. He was suddenly engulfed in the slimy, wriggling wave. Link dashed forwards and swung his sword down, trying to cut through the base of Bellum's many arms. His stroke cut through several of them, but one of the ling twisting limbs lashed out, catching Link painfully in the middle amd knocking the breath out of him.

Nabeen vaulted over him, hacking at Bellum's arms. Midna shot bolts at Bellum's head, but they did little damage.

The remaining tentacles rose up into the air, bringing Sheik with them. He had managed to hold onto his bow, but the quiver had been ripped off of his back.

"Stop attacking the tentacles!" Sheik shouted. "You need to go for the core!"

"But it'll kill you!" Link shouted.

"Then focus on killing _it_ first!" Sheik shouted back.

Midna flew up to try to loosen Bellum's grip on Sheik, but one of the tentacles closed around her middle, pinning an arm to her side.

"I have an idea!" Link shouted. "Navi, help Nabeen find Sheik's arrows! Sheik!"

Sheik nodded in understanding.

Link dashed forwards and slashed at Bellum's fat green body with his sword. He dodged some of the long black arms and rolled up against the creature, sinking his sword into its body. Bellum let out the horrible squelching bellow again and rolled to its side, trying to crush Link. He barely rolled out of the way in time.

"Link!" Navi shouted. He glanced over to see Nabeen snatching an arrow off of the ground. She threw it to Sheik. At the same time, Link brought the hilt of his sword down on Bellum's closed eyelid. Bellum opened its eye just as Sheik reached out to catch the arrow. But as his fingers touched the shaft, one of Bellum's arms statched it out of the air and broke it against the wall. The eye closed again.

Link cursed and dodged away from Bellum's body to avoid the clinging black limbs. He couldn't see Nabeen anywhere, and he had to retreat further from the onslaught of Bellum's arms.

Then he saw something that made him nearly drop his sword. Bellum was lowering the struggling Midna towards the strange mouth-eye. And the lid was opening as though it was preparing to swallow her.

Link hacked through the wall of black arms and charged forwards.

Then he saw something in the branches above. Nabeen. She had climbed up into the trees. She dropped something down to Sheik. Something long and thin.

Sheik caught the arrow and knocked it. He took careful aim, and then loosed.

The arrow shot past Midna, missing her by an inch. And it embedded itself into Bellum's eye.

Bellum let out a raging scream and dropped Midna and Sheik to the ground.

Link launched himself into the air and brought his full weight down, driving the sword deep into Bellum.

There was a low, gargling moan, and then Bellum rolled to the side, the tentacles falling limp.

Link released a relieved sigh and dropped to his knees.

Midna pulled herself out from beneath a tangle of vine-like arms. Sheik picked himself off the ground and went to retrieve his arrows. Nabeen swung down from the tree and Navi landed on Link's shoulder.

"Shouldn't you draw the Master Sword?" Navi suggested. "Before something else happens?"

"Oh. Yeah. Good idea."

Link walked around Bellum's lifeless form, eying it warily. He placed his hand on the hilt of the Master Sword, closing his fingers around it. He took a deep breath, and then tugged upwards.


	25. Final Plans

Sorry I'm late. I was sick, plus I had a few long school days. Bleh. Not a fun combo. I'm supposed to be working on this group project now, actually, but I'd rather do this. Heheh. I'm so bad. I always get a lot of writing done when I'm supposed to be doing homework, if you know what I mean.

I know I've complained about this before, but I have too many characters! Haha! I'm trying to remember back to everyone who's made an appearance. I need to give them their role for the upcoming act! I should probably write them down so I don't forget again.

Chapter 25: Final Plans

"What on earth happened to you?" Medli exclaimed as Link and the rest of his group arrived aback at the Twilit camp. They were dirty, disheveled, and tired-looking.

Link grinned sheepishly and scratched beneath his hat. "Yeah. We ran into unexpected trouble."

Volvagia spotted them and flew over to greet Link. Link scratched Volvagia's horns and let the dragon fly off to help move some boxes.

"I guess it's no surprise though," Medli said softly.

"What do you mean by that?" Nabeen demanded. "Did you _know_ that slimy monster was going to attack us?"

Medli took a step back at Nabeen's rather menacing tone. "N-no. But when he showed up, we knew that something was wrong."

"When who showed up?" Midna asked.

Medli swallowed. "Vaati."

"Vaati came here?" Sheik asked.

"And left us to deal with that monster," Nabeen hissed.

Medli shook her head. "No, he didn't have a choice! Come on. You can talk to him. He's in the meeting tent," Medli said, leading the group through the encampment.

"I can't wait to hear his excuse," Nabeen grumbled.

"I'm sure it was good if he had to miss us," Navi said from Link's shoulder.

"It better be a good one for me to forgive him. That monster was beyond an unpleasant surprise."

"Someone's in a bad mood," Midna said, her eyebrow raised.

"That tends to happen after dodging tentacles for so long," Nabeen sighed. "I didn't ask for any of this, you know."

"No one did," Sheik replied. "But that doesn't mean that we should not rise to the occasion. I'm going to go and speak with some of the other Sheikah. I'll see you at the meeting."

He went off to the Sheikah training grounds.

"Which reminds me," Midna said, "I need to be somewhere else too. Vaati doesn't need all of us coming in to see him." And she floated away in the direction of the Twilight palace.

"Well, I'm going," Nabeen said. "I want to know why he wasn't there."

"I thought you liked battles," Navi reminded her. "That's why you wanted to come along."

"Yes, but I like to be warned about weird mutated freaks like that beforehand," Nabeen retorted.

Medli pulled back the flap of the tent. There was a large table with some chairs set around it. Maps from previous meetings were spread on the tabletop. There were only a couple people seated there. One of them was a small man in a green robe with a long beard and a bird-headed staff.

The other was Vaati.

He looked up when the four of them entered.

"Did you get it?" He asked. His voice was cracked and hoarse.

Link nodded and pulled the Master Sword from its sheath. "We had to fight for it, but we got it in the end. What happened? Why weren't you there to meet us?"

"You sound horrible," Nabeen noted flatly.

Vaati gave a small snort of laughter, which turned into a cough. "Ganon found out that I helped you. Damn near strangled me too." He touched the back of his head and winced at the lump that was left from when he hit his head. "The only reason I got away is because Ezlo got the Picori to come and help."

Vaati waved a hand vaguely at the person dressed in green. When Link looked closer, he saw that the man wasn't in fact human. His face was different.

Vaati continued taking. "Ezlo used to be my master. He used to be a lot smaller too. Although I have to admit, dropping a chandelier on Ganon was a stroke of genius. I wish I'd done it myself."

Then Ezlo started talking. "Vaati wasn't in much of a state to travel," he explained. "So he turned back into a Picori and we helped him escape. Then the two of us became big again."

"Became big?" Navi repeated.

"What are Picori?" Link asked.

"Picori are these little people that live around Hyrule," Ezlo explained. "Most people can't see them though. They've been going all around camp to help build tools or weapons."

"Little elf creatures that are invisible to most people?" Nabeen repeated skeptically.

"That sounds like something Shadow Link would say," Navi said. She froze and turned apologetically to Link. He sighed and shrugged. Shadow Link was gone and there was nothing they could do about it at the moment. They had to focus on what mattered most.

"How'd you get big then?" Nabeen asked, unaware of the small distraction.

"My magic," Vaati said. Speaking seemed to hurt his throat, which was why he let Ezlo do a lot of the talking. "I turned him into a hat once, so making him human-sized wasn't too difficult. Even though I don't have the same source of magic now as I did then."

"Turned into a hat?" Navi repeated blankly.

"That's too long of a story to worry about now," Ezlo said dismissively.

"Who did they send to replace me?" Vaati croaked.

"Some gross slimy blob with lots of tentacles," Nabeen cut in. "Not pleasant, but not too difficult to kill as monsters go." She seemed to have accepted Vaati's excuse.

"They're planning a meeting tonight in the great hall of the Twilight palace," Ezlo said. "Everyone's going to meet in there, and we'll discuss our final plans before we attack."

…

That evening, the entire population of the camp filed into the palace of Twilight. A host of Twili were there as well. Those who were too big to fit in the hall (such as Volvagia and the larger of the two Yetis) were listening at the doors.

Link was standing near the front of the hall where there was a raised platform for speeches. Around him were Sheik, Nabeen, Medli, Din, Vaati, and the fairies. But Link didn't see Midna anywhere. She was probably trying to straighten out some last minute problems. She'd had a lot of work to do, preparing the Twilight Realm to hold such an army and organizing her own people to help in the oncoming war.

The hall looked mostly full. Midna would go up to the podium any moment to begin the announcement. She'd agreed to explain the plan to everyone since this was her land and her palace. So, where was she?

Link scanned the crowd, wondering if there was any chance of catching a glimpse of the little imp among this sea of bodies. He craned his next to see around a very tall person who had just appeared. Then he stopped and looked at her. She was obviously Twili with black and white skin, bright orange hair and a black and turquoise robe. She stopped in front of Link and his companions, looking at them. Link wondered who she was. Maybe she was here to deliver a message from Midna.

"Are you ready?" The Twili woman asked.

"What?" Link said blankly.

"Are you ready for the speech to begin?" She repeated.

"We're just waiting for…" Link trailed off and stared at the Twili woman in front of him. It couldn't be… could it?

"Midna?" He asked.

"What?"

Link closed his eyes for a moment. How on earth could a tiny little imp turn into such a tall woman?

Midna smiled. "You're not the first to be startled by my appearance." Her voice was deeper as well, but her manner of speaking and her accent were the same. The patterns of her skin were the same too. And now that Link was over his initial shock, he realized that she was quite pretty.

"We're ready," he finished lamely.

"Good." She stepped up onto the stage and raised her hands. The buzz of the audience died down and everyone listened with rapt attention.

"Thank you all for being here," Midna started. "Your presence means everything to this endeavor. As you know, in just about one day, we move to attack Ganon's fortress. Thanks to Vaati, we have a general idea of how this will best work. Ganon has used some unknown power to invade many different eras, and he has forts in many of those eras. And there are prisoners in each of those forts. Thanks to our friends, we've managed to rescue some of them. But many of out allies remain imprisoned. Vaati tells us that a certain underground fortress acts as a sort of hub to all the others. There are portals to his other bases, and so that hub is the best place to attack if we want Ganon's full attention.

"But that's not all of it. As we have Ganon and his armies distracted by our forces, a small group has volunteered to travel through Ganon's portals to rescue our imprisoned comrades."

Din, Medli Tatl, Tael, and Vaati were the ones who made up this small group (though one boy dressed in blue and wearing a cape had demanded to join so that he could save Nayru).

"Although this group will certainly face many dangers, the rest of you will not have it easy either," Midna continued. "We can't be sure the extent of Ganon's forces, but they will no doubt be formidable. Be courageous, and we will surely defeat Ganon and rid ourselves of him for good!"

A great cheer erupted in the hall.

"Now, here's what we do."

…

(I have a request of the readers. I'd like to include characters like the King of Red Lions, or Jabu Jabu, or such ocean-dwelling people. Except there really isn't any water where the final battle's going to take place. Any ideas?

Any other characters you'd like to see during the upcoming finale?)


	26. Shifting Earth

I had no idea what I was gonna write for this chapter, but when I sat down and started writing, it all came out automatically. I love it when that happens!

Chapter 26: Shifting Earth

They were finally here: the army assembled from all eras, lands, and races. Their combined magic had brought all of them back to the site of battle. They were on the brown field above the cavern that held the underground tower. Behind them were the cliffs where they'd lost Shadow Link.

Where was he? Link wondered, glancing absently behind him at the cliffs. Would they see him again? Would he emerge for the battle? Which side would he end up choosing?

He tried not to think about it. This place already made him more uneasy than usual. After being imprisoned here, he preferred not to return. But he also knew that his personal preferences weren't important. He had to put aside all doubts and focus on accomplishing his goal. It was something he'd done many times before.

Beneath him, Epona gave a snort and stomped her hoof. She was uneasy too. Everyone was. This day would decide everything.

Navi was perched on his shoulder. She was ready to be his second set of eyes. If this battle ended up being anything like Link feared, then he'd need her to watch his back.

Link's eyes scanned over the ranks to either side of him. Several others were mounted on horses. Malon had brought Epona for him to ride. Sheik and Nabeen had horses as well - Sheik on a white mare and Nabeen on a chestnut stallion. Midna, still in her real form, was riding a great black Twilight bird called a Shadow Kargarok. Volvagia was beside her. The other sky-going folk were all on the ground, ready to take off at the start of the battle. Valoo was there too, as was a big blue winged bear, a great owl, several tall elegant fairies, and a pair of strange frogs that rode on top of clouds.

Link wished that he'd had more chance to get to know his allies. He only knew a small number of them by name. Such as the six sages – Ruto, Darunia, Saria, Nabooru, Impa, and Rauru, who were decked out for battle.

One small group stood not far from Link. It consisted of Medli, Din, Tatl, Tael, and Vaati. There was also Ralph, the boy in the blue cape. Once the battle started, they would sneak into the tower and search for the prisoners.

He didn't have long to think of all this. They had to move quickly. The arrival of a couple hundred warriors wouldn't go noticed for long. They had to make their move.

Link glanced back to Midna. She caught his eye and nodded. They were ready.

Link took a deep breath and urged Epona forwards. She snorted and took off at a gallop across the field. He headed for the spot Vaati suggested and led Epona in a circle. Navi clung to his shirt, watching and waiting.

"Do you have the courage to face us," Link shouted. "If you have something to prove, then come and meet us in battle!"

Epona came to a halt, tossing her mane and prancing in place. Everyone waited, wondering if Ganon would accept the challenge.

The seconds stretched on. Link had no idea how long it lasted. His heart pounded against his ribs. Navi trembled slightly.

Then a groaning sound wheezed across the field. Epona backed up, shaking her head.

"It's okay," Link said, patting her neck. "Everything's fine."

Then the ground opened up. A huge hole almost 50 feet across appeared and someone came out: A man in a red cloak. He was riding a Lynel-a lion centaur. The Lynel sneered at Epona and shifted his forearms, showing the sword he held. Both the man and his steed could fight.

Link glared defiantly at the man. "Let Ganon come out and face us."

The man laughed. "Lord Ganon is away. But I, Agahnim, will be more than enough to dispose of your pathetic uprising. Would you rather surrender, or face death by my armies?"

Link raised an eyebrow. "If you're so confident, then send out your soldiers. We'll settle this quickly. Then maybe Ganon will feel the need to come out when he finds that his guard dog lost."

As they'd exchanged the brief challenge, Link noticed figures moving from the hole. There was a ramp or something leading down into the depths. No doubt it connected to the top of the tower somehow. And the enemies were gathering, ready to fight.

Epona turned and trotted back to their friends.

Agahnim sneered angrily. "You won't live to regret your foolishness."

Behind them, Link could hear the enemy ranks rising up from underground. He didn't need to turn around to know that there were a lot of them.

"They're not moving yet," Navi whispered to him. "They're still gathering."

"Go slowly, Epona," Link said softly. "Tell me when they've formed up, Navi."

"Yeah."

Link was almost 2/3 of the way back to his anxiously watching friends when Navi hissed into his ear.

"They've lined up."

"Is the trap set?" Link asked.

Navi glanced around the field. Nothing seemed out of place, except for some strange half-buried stones around the field.

"All set," she whispered.

Link brought Epona to a halt and she turned to face the enemy once more.

Agahnim was in front of his troops, his Lynel brandishing his sword at the monsters that had lined up across the field. There were a lot of them. At least as many as Link had on his side. There were all sorts, from bokoblins and moblins to stalfos, and even some men suited up in armor. A nasty lot, but nothing Link hadn't dealt with before. Didn't Ganon have fowler monsters than this? Where were they? Would they arrive when Ganon did?

Link pointed his sword directly at Agahnim. Though he was too far to be heard, Agahnim recognized the challenge in Link's gestures.

Agahnim sneered and raised his hand to his army. Then he dug his heels into the Lynel's side, forcing it forwards. As he came towards Link, the rest of the monsters followed him. Link gave a small smile. Agahnim had taken the bait.

"Go, Epona," he said. Epona whirled around and started galloping back towards their friends. Link raised his sword.

"HHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" He shouted.

But it wasn't the warriors that moved in response to Link's call. It was the strange round rocks circling the field. Each of them shifted slightly, and then they rolled quickly away towards the edge of the field.

Link slowly counted under his breath as Epona surged forwards. The fuses the Gorons lit should blow in…

3… 2… 1…

An echoing boom sounded throughout the field maaking the ground beneath Epona buck and shudder. She stumbled, but continued towards their allies. The enemy monsters were thrown from their feet.

Suddenly a huge hunk of earth broke free from the middle of the field and crashed out of sight, falling into the massive cavern beneath. All around the first hole, the earth crumbled and the chasm widened like an opening mouth. Agahnim and his Lynel were the first to tumble forwards into the black. And a moment later, the rest of his troops were swallowed up by the cavern.

"It's coming!" Navi shouted as Epona shot forwards, away from the hole that was still widening. In just a few moments, the ground beneath their feet would vanish. And the solid area where his friends were was too far to reach before that happened.

Suddenly, a hunk of earth broke away beneath Epona's feet. She let out a frightened squeal as she pitched forwards towards darkness.

A set of clawed forearms reached out and grabbed Epona around the middle, lifting her, Link, and Navi to safety. Valoo the dragon carried them forwards and set them on firm ground back at the head of their army.

Behind them, a final rumbling sound marked the end of the cave-in. The land over the cavern had all fallen, leaving a gaping hole in the center of the field. There still remained solid earth around the edges of the field, and no doubt that's where much of the real fighting would take place.

"Thanks," Link called to Valoo.

Valoo nodded. He'd been ready to make that maneuver, though it was a tricky one. Link knew that their ruse would be more convincing if he was out in the field. It would give the illusion that all was well, and he could coax the enemy forwards.

"Good girl, Epona," Link said, patting her neck. She gave a snort. It had not been a fun maneuver for her.

Across the field, a handful of monsters had managed to find stable ground, but they seemed reluctant to move forward.

Near the far side of the hole, they could see the massive tower still standing, reaching nearly up to gound level. All the earth arund it had been knocked away, leaving the top level a strange jagged island surrounded by air. Only the top-most layers had been at all damaged by the explosion. But that waas good. The tower needed to be intact if Vaati, Din, Medli, and Ralph were going to find the time portals hidden throughout it.

"I don't suppose that's the end of this," Nabeen said, sounding almost bored. "That guy was a stupid, hot-headed leader to send his army out after a taunt.

"Yes," Link said softly. "This isn't over."

"Look," Navi exclaimed.

Something red was rising out from the pit. Someone in a red cloak. Agahnim had used his magic to avoid the fall, and he'd used it to float back up to ground level. Though he was far away, he was clearly livid.

He landed on the top level of the underground tower and waved his arms. The dirt began to rearrange itself once more, forming a bridge from the tower to the nearest solid ground. The monsters that had managed to survive tried to shuffle across the bridge to get back in the tower, but Agahnim sent out a blast of light to chase them back. Then he vanished into the tower.

"He's gone for reinforcements," Sheik said.

So, they waited. And eventually, there was movement again at the top of the tower. Agahnim appeared and went across the land bridge. Behind him came a mass of enemies, marching in rows.

More and more of the appeared, lining up on the solid land. They weren't kidding around this time. This was more what Link was expecting. As well as the generic monsters, there were several nasty-looking ones as well-strange monsters with long slaws and spiked tails.

"He'll probably be more careful in his advance this time," Sheik said.

"Line up behind me," Link shouted.

There was a shuffling of feet as all of their allies shifted. Link coaxed Epona forwards, and she walked on, tossing her mane. Sheik and Nabeen, were directly behind him. Everyone marched after him until they were on the same side of the pit as Agahnim's forces. Only a long strip of land separated them, with cliffs to one side and the open cavern to the other.

"Stop," Link called.

The footsteps died down.

"Come on," Link whispered. "Come for it."

Then Agahnim's troops began to advance, slower this time, marching in line. It seemed to take forever, with the enemy stomping slowly along.

And Link raised his sword once more.

For a second time, an explosion sent the ground rumbling. The cliffs to the side of the field sprayed into the air as the bombs went off beneath them. The wave of dirt poured forwards, sweeping much of the enemy into the pit. The landslide continued down, and when it finally settled, a loose earthy ramp had been formed down to the bottom of the cavern.

"HHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Link shouted once again. Epona reared up, letting out a battle cry. And then she charged forwards. And this time, the rest of their army came behind them, racing head-on at what remained of the enemy army.


	27. Fleeing the Light

I always love to meet characters that you knew from before. If I'm reading a long series or something, I'm always excited when an old friend shows up again. Maybe that's why I wrote this story.

Also… I'm not sure how so many of my main characters got to be female. I usually try to keep it balanced. And usually my favorite characters are guys too.

And for the end of the chapter… TT^TT

Chapter 27: Fleeing the Light

Epona drove directly into the confused enemies that had made it beyond the landslide. Within a few minutes, Link and his allies had taken them out.

There was a heavy flapping sound and Midna flew overhead on her kargarok bird. She swept an arm over the slope of loose earth, and a staticky bolt flew from her fingertips and rippled across the dirt. There was a crackling sound as the loose soil solidified.

Epona cantered fearlessly forwards and over the newly hardened surface. Sheik and Nabeen were right behind him, and the thunder of footsteps sounded as everyone else followed.

A few of the monsters remaining on the opposite side of the landslide were climbing over the sloping area. A shower of arrows rained down towards Link, but Volvagia and Valoo incinerated them in a burst of fire. Harmless blobs of metal fell down instead. Link raised his shield to protect his head, and then swung his sword down to cleave the helmet of a darknut.

Epona lashed out with her hooves with deadly effect. Once or twice, one of Sheik's arrows soared past Link as it took out some nameless threat. Nabeen's blades swished menacingly through the air.

Gorons rolled past, bowling over their foes. Zoras slashed out with blade-like fins. Dekus shot hard seeds in every direction.

Link gave a twitch of Epona's reigns, guiding her down the hardened earth and deeper into the open pit. They needed to draw the fight downwards to let Medli and company sneak into the tower. With the commotion of a battle right outside their gates, their entrance would go largely unnoticed.

Just then a swarm of bats came fluttering up from the cavern. Behind them came larger, more dangerous birds. And then the ground trembled as something huge rose up out of the depths. A great blue bird with a long golden tail. It opened its beak and let out a screech.

Valoo and Volvagia swooped forwards to engage the large bird.

How had that huge bird come up from the cavern? There was no way it could have gotten down in there. What sort of magic could transport something that size underground?

"Look down," Navi urged.

Link glanced down into the dim light. He could see movement. The birds and bats weren't the only things arriving. More enemies were swarming up from the bottom of the cavern. And others were still pouring from the top of the tower.

Valoo tackled the huge bird, and the two of them tumbled sideways towards Link. Epona scuffled sideways to avoid the mass of feathers and scales.

Sheik loosed an arrow, and the bird shrieked in pain as the tip embedded into its eye.

Link urged Epona further down. Several others followed him to meet the second wave of enemies charging up at them.

"We have the high ground," Link muttered to himself. Navi nodded.

More hoofbeats approached them from below and Link found his blades locked with a night on horseback. For a moment they clashed, until Link unhorsed his opponent.

There was a rumbling sound coming from up the slope. Link turned to see something large and white thundering towards him. The big Yeti. He was pounding downhill, bowling over all of the enemies in his path. He rushed past Link, smashing a path straight to the tower. But his momentum was too great. Link watched with raised eyebrows as the Yeti crashed right into the wall of the tower, making it sway slightly. Part of the wall caved in.

Actually, that was perfect.

Link swung his sword to bring down an enemy, and then brought Epona around and urged her up the hill.

There they were. Medli, Din, Vaati, and the boy called Ralph. Tatl and Tael were hovering beside them. They'd made their way partway down into the cave. Vaati was taking enemies down on the way, and Ralph was swinging his rapier. Medli and Din were trying to keep out of danger. Though each of them had a blade to protect themselves with, they weren't skilled with the weapons.

"Come on," Link called. "The tower's open."

"Yes!" Ralph shouted. He charged forwards and was almost trampled beneath a giant boar.

Link stopped Epona directly in front of them and let Din climb up behind him. Sheik appeared and let Ralph jump up. They turned and headed towards the tower. Medli spread her wings and flew between them with Tatl and Tael. Vaati swept along beside them.

Epona stopped in front of the hole the yeti had left in the tower. Din and Ralph dismounted and their group disappeared into the tower. Medli paused and gave a final wave. Link blinked and shook his head. Medli had been wearing a weird hat. A green hat with a bird head on the top.

Link turned and froze. Beside him was a knight with his sword raised to strike. For a moment, Link and the knight stared at each other. But the knight didn't move. And then he slowly toppled sideways, a knife in his back.

"Pay attention or you'll get sliced," Nabeen shouted, before turning to the next enemy.

Link smiled gratefully. For all her harsh words, she at least looked after her allies.

They were up against the tower now. But their allies were still above them. Only Yeto, the Yeti was down here, swinging his fists to send monsters flying. And with more enemies pouring out of the bottom of the tower, Link and his friends were being swiftly surrounded. Even Yeto was being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

Gather!" Link shouted, gesturing to Sheik and Nabeen. If they were separated, they wouldn't stand a chance. They had to stick together until more allies could arrive.

Nabeen struck down the moblins in her way and her horse halted beside Epona. Sheik arrived a moment later.

"We need to help him," Link said, gesturing to Yeto. He was limping badly, and there were several arrows sticking out of his fur.

"We'll never be able to get over there," Nabeen said. "There's too many enemies between us."

"He'll be killed if we don't help," Sheik said. "We should try to get to him."

"We should stay here with our backs to the tower," Nabeen insisted. "It's the most strategical point."

Yeto looked over at them. "Me good," he shouted. "I take many down! Don't worry for me!" He swung his fists around again, knocking away anyone foolish enough to approach him.

The monsters had closed in on Link and the others. Epona turned her body so Link could start attacking with his sword. Sheik and Nabeen resumed the battle as well.

Link noticed vaguelty that the numbers coming from the tower had decreased, until one woman stepped out. She wore a strange purple suit and spiked hat. She scanned the battlefield, and her eyes fell on Yeto, still charging around despite his wounds.

Then the woman began to change. Her body expanded and several new legs sprouted. A moment later, a huge spider was in her place. The woman known as Veran scuttled towards Yeto. Yeto saw her and charged, but before he'd taken a few paces, Veran sent out a sticky web that clung to Yeto and stuck his legs together. He crashed to the ground and struggled to free himself. A moment later the spider was on him. He managed to get his arms up in time to defend himself, but the webs were slowing him down.

For a minute the two grappled, and then Yeto collapsed to the ground.

Then the spider turned its eight eyes towards them and scuttled forwards again, pincers clicking.

"I got this one," Nabeen said with a deadly smile. "She's mine."

Nabeen leapt out of her saddle, vaulted off of Epona's back with one foot, and landed directly on the spider's back. The spider hissed and tried to shake her off, but its legs couldn't reach her.

"Link!" Navi exclaimed.

Link looked in the direction the fairy had indicated. For half a moment he though he'd seen someone familiar: a boy in a black outfit and hat. But he'd vanished into the throng of monsters and Link couldn't be sure what he'd just seen.

The spider thundered up to them and knocked Epona off of her feet. She fell to the side. Link managed to kick his foot out of the stirrup before Epona crushed it. She flailed for a moment before scrambling to her feet. Link put his foot back in the stirrup and slashed one of the spider's legs with his sword. Then Nabeen stabbed her daggers down into the spider's head. It screeched and staggered to the side, and then collapsed to the ground. Its legs twitched, and then it lay still.

Nabeen jumped back onto her horse. Link stared at her. She was truly amazing.

A burst of fire shot down at them, incinerating the nearest foes to Link. Valoo had come down to help them.

"Hey!" Link shouted. "Get him out of here!" He gestured frantically to Yeto. "He's hurt! You've got to carry him out of here!"

Valoo nodded, pausing only to burn up several more enemies before he grabbed the unconscious yeti in his foreclaws and slowly lifted him up and out of the cavern.

Several of their ally knights arrived along with a handful of Gorons and a Sheikah. Impa, Nabooru, and Darunia were with them. They'd finally managed to break through the lines to help Link and the others.

Link, Nabeen, and Sheik regrouped with them and attacked with a renewed ferocity.

Until one more person stepped out from the tower. She had pale skin and silvery hair that fell down her back. Her dress was black with gray and red markings.

Link froze he moment he saw her. Her face was exactly the same as Princess Zelda's. But her features… It was as though she was an opposite Zelda – was it even possible? – a Shadow Zelda.

For half a moment, Link wondered which side she was on. Could she be with Shadow Link?

Then the Shadow Zelda drew back the strong of a bow. But there was no arrow in place.

She took aim out into the middle of the field, and a fragment of light appeared in the bow and began to grow. A bright gold arrow made of light. Although she was nothing more than a phantom Zelda, she had stolen the power of the light arrows from the true Zelda.

She released the light arrow and it soared past Epona. It hit a boulder in the center of the cave and sent out an explosive shockwave. Epona crashed sideways again, and this time Link was blown out of her saddle. He skidded to a painful halt and the Master Sword flew out of his hand. Navi was blown far away, and the rest of his friends were thrown off of their feet.

Link looked up to see Shadow Zelda's blank red eyes. Her lips parted into a crazed smile and she raised her bow again, pointing it directly at Link. Link started to move, but a pain shot through his leg, making him collapse to the ground again.

The light arrow began to form in the drawn bow. Link pushed himself to his knees, preparing to roll to the side. But as he sat up, he saw Zelda release the bow. It felt like slow motion, that bright glowing arrow coming straight at Link.

He came out of nowhere, the pale skinned boy with black hair and clothes. He grit his teeth against the blinding light and sprang forwards. His hands collided with Link's shoulders, pushing Link sideways. As Link fell to the side, he saw the arrow blaze across his Shadow.

As the blinding light subsided, Link scrambled to his knees again.

Shadow Link was lying there on his back, his chest heaving with ragged breaths.

Sheik leapt forwards to attack Shadow Zelda, and the two began to fight.

Link scrambled to Shadow Link's side. To his horror, he found that he could see the ground through Shadow Link. He was transparent. Shadow Link slowly opened his eyes.

"Why-why did you do that?" Link gasped.

"Why do you think, stupid," Shadow Link whispered, his voice faint and hoarse. "A shadow can't live without a body."

"And how can someone live without their shadow?" Link said, his voice shaking slightly.

"Don't flatter yourself," Shadow Link coughed. "I'm the one that does all the work anyway." He took a deep, rattling breath. "But now… I think you need this back." He slowly raised his left hand – the hand that still had the Triforce of Courage marked on the back of it.

Link hesitated, and then raised his trembling arm to place his palm against Shadow Link's. The Triforce mark flashed once on Shadow Link's hand.

"Sorry I was selfish," Shadow Link said softly.

Link shook his head. "You were great."

The Triforce faded from the pale skin, and then blinked to life on Link's hand.

Shadow Link smiled and closed his eyes. "Thanks."

His body melted away, fading into the darkness. A moment later, Link was alone, kneeling over the flat gray shadow beneath him.

_I don't know if you've ever noticed, but when you walk towards a bright light, your shadow hangs behind you, as though cringing away from the brightness. And when you move away from a light, the shadow leads the way as though it can't get away soon enough. That's the way of shadows. That was the rule I broke, and it destroyed me. _


	28. Fighting and Searching

I wrote most of this chapter when I had a bunch of music playing. That's not unusual, but this time I was listening to music on Youtube, which means that a lot of the songs had videos that went with them-either the scene from the movie, or little clips of pictures from whatever it was from. I was continually distracted by Ponyo, FMA, Hank Green, How to Train your Dragon, August Rush, Avatar, The Rescuers Down Under, and Fantasia. Either I had to watch the pretty clips or sing along to them.

Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo sakana no ko!

Aah, distractions. How you keep me from writing. ^-^

Chapter 28: Fighting and Searching

Link slowly stood up, his fists clenched and his body shaking. He looked down at his shadow on the ground, just as flat and plain as it usually was. And on the back of his hand, the old triforce mark was once again visible. He could feel a steady flow of energy from it, and it gave him strength.

He slowly turned his head towards Shadow Zelda and Sheik, who were locked in battle. Shadow Zelda's bow seemed to have a sharp edge on it. She was wielding it like a sword. Sheik was using his own bow to block the hits, but he couldn't shoot at such close range.

Link unhooked his bow and pulled out an arrow. He drew back and let his magic pour through his fingers. The arrowhead began to glow until it was shining with the brightness of the sun. Link took careful aim.

"Sheik!" He shouted.

Sheik turned his head and saw Link. He flattened himself to the ground as Link released his light arrow.

Shadow Zelda fixed her blank stare on Link, but didn't move in time and the arrow struck her in the chest. Her body collapsed to the ground and melted into shadow.

Still shaking, Link looked around. Impa, Darunia, Nabooru, and the soldiers had managed to chase away or finish off most of the rest of the enemies down in the cavern. But on the field above them, they could still hear the battle raging.

Epona walked over to him. She seemed unscathed so far except for some shallow scratches on her legs and flanks. Link swung up into her saddle and waved to the rest of his friends, gesturing up the hill. They needed to go help the others. He urged Epona up the hill.

Link released a few of his arrows at airborne enemies, and then hooked his bow onto his back again. He drew his sword as the first enemy charged down towards him. A wolfos. It sprang into the air, directly at Link. He raised his shield, catching the wolfos in the face. At the same time he swung his sword up hitting its shaggy underbelly. More appeared from the field and started bounding in his direction.

Then two gold figures charged at them from the side. There was a large yellow fox with nine tails. Link recognized it as the Keaton from Termina. There was also a large golden wold with one red eye. It closed its jaws on one of the wolfos and twisted sharply.

Sheik sent several arrows into the wolfos pack. Navi had helped gather some of Sheik's spent arrows so that he wasn't in danger of running out of ammunition.

Epona finally emerged onto the field again. Link looked around, trying to assess the situation. There was so much activity around him that it was hard to tell how many of their allies were left. All around him, there were scuffles and duels. He didn't see many bodies of people from his side. For a moment, he felt heartened. Maybe all these monsters were pushovers. But then he saw Volvagia fly up, carrying a soldier away from the battlefield. So, the dragons were removing their injured comrades before they could be killed. How many were unable to fight anymore? Who had been killed?

Valoo was still flying overhead, sending burst of flame out occasionally. But he had to be careful since so many of their allies were mixed in with the enemies. Instead he struck out with his claws, tail, and teeth. Link noticed that there were arrows embedded in his wings. They must have hurt, but he was still flying. His scales seemed to protect the rest of him.

Midna's twilight bird swooped low, raking with his claws. Midna wielded a long spear which she used every time her bird dove.

The two dragons and the bird seemed to have cleared the sky of most of the flying monsters. But there seemed no end to the ground-based foes.

At that point, a familiar figure danced past : a child in a red and green outfit and a pointed hat. He was blowing a grassy horn. A swarm of strange puppet creatures followed him, converging on the nearest enemies. He paused for a moment in front of Link. He laughed and then continued past.

Link urged Epona forwards and he joined in the massive battle. Nabeen and Sheik had already joined in. It didn't take long for him to lose track of the two of them in the mad scuffle. Link saw a group of three strange animals. Two of them seemed to be defending the third. The figure on the ground was the huge blue winged bear. He was injured. The Kangaroo and the red crocodile were fending off enemies from either side. Link rushed to their aid, slashing down anything that strayed too close. He raised his sword to flag down Valoo. The dragon came and carried the bear to safety. He stayed by Ricky, the kangaroo and Dimitri, the crocodile, trusting his back to them. Dimitri's skin was like armor, but his attacks seemed restricted to biting. Ricky attacked with lightning-fast punches.

Eventually, he lost the two of them in the crowd. He continued to seek out allies, pairing up with them and helping them out of sticky spots. A hawk circled overhead, keeping its sharp eyes opened. It would fly in the faces of anyone that seemed a danger to Link. Several enemy archers were blinded by the hawk's talons. Navi kept a sharp lookout, shouting out warnings to Link.

Link's arms began to ache with the strain. He could feel that Epona wasn't quite as quick on her feet anymore. Everyone seemed tired. But he forced himself to keep going. Adrenaline made it easier. It kept the fatigue at bay.

He left a small group of Tokays – salamander/tadpole creatures – and ran into Nabeen again. She had lost her horse at some point. Her forearm was bleeding and a vivid bruise was spreading across her shoulder, but she was still fighting strong. The lack of a horse only gave her more chance to use her extreme agility. She was almost like an acrobat the way she twirled, dodged, and sprang around her enemies.

Suddenly Epona gave a scream and bucked, sending Link flying forwards out of the saddle. He automatically went into a roll, crashing into the legs of a stalfos and toppling it. He quickly turned and saw Epona with an arrow sunk deep in her hindquarters.

"Epona!" Link shouted, running to her side. "Hold still," he cried, taking hold of the arrow shaft and pulling it out. She snorted in pain, and kicked out reflexively. Luckily she missed Link's knee.

"Nabeen," Link cried, "Help me guard her! I'll try to get Valoo to come and bring her somewhere safe!"

Nabeen stared at him for a moment before nodding and moving to Epona's other side. Link held his sword at the ready, and then charged.

…

"Why did you have to bring him?" Vaati demanded, looking at the bird hat on Medli's head.

"He said he could help us," Medli said, cocking her head.

"We don't need his help," Vaati muttered.

"I doubt that," said the bird head, Ezlo. "You may know your way around this place, but you have less experience than I do."

"Hah," Vaati scoffed.

"Nayru! Nayru!" Ralph ashouted, cupping his hands over his mouth.

"Would you stop shouting?" Vaati snapped. "We don't want to attract attention. I'm the only one here who can actually fight." He gestured to Medli, Din, the two fairies, and the hat.

"I can fight," Ralph said indignantly. "I was trained in swordplay!"

"And you suck at it," Vaati said.

"I'll challenge you now and show you my skills!" Ralph exclaimed, drawing his rapier.

"We have a job to do," Din said, turning to them. "Save your quarrels until after we've released the prisoners.

"I just know that Ganon is using Nayru's powers," Ralph moaned. "That must be how he's messing with the flow of time! What has he done to her?"

"Can't you shut up?" Vaati growled.

Din held up her hand. "Hush. I hear something."

All of them stopped walking and stared at her.

She peered out from around the corner.

"I think someone's just through that doorway," she said softly.

"We'll check," Tatl said. She and Tael flew forwards, peered in through the open door, and flitted back.

"I can see Link in there!" Tael whispered excitedly.

"One of the Links," Tatl corrected. "He was unconscious."

"There was someone in there too," Tael continued. "A little man wearing green. He has two hats on for some reason. But he doesn't look dangerous."

"Let's go see then," Vaati said. "I doubt he'll be a match for us."


	29. Calling on Fairies

Sorry for the late post. Fanfic wasn't letting me update for over a week.

FYI, the big furry creature you're about to meet is from the Majora's Mask manga. The armor it wore is what the Majora's mask was carved from. I really liked its design.

Chapter 29: Calling on Fairies

Valoo flapped up into the air, carrying a thrashing Epona to safety. Link watched them fly away, relieved that Epona was out of harm's way.

"This is ridiculous," Nabeen hissed, slashing with one of her knives. She'd lost one of her dueling blades somewhere, and had replaced it with one she'd found on the battlefield. "There's no end to these monsters! Where's that stupid Ganon guy so we can kill him?"

"I don't know," Link muttered. "We just have to keep moving forwards and hope he shows himself soon. And there _are_ a lot fewer enemies than there were at the start."

"But there are fewer of us too," Nabeen said, standing back-to-back with him. "Who knows how many of your friends and allies have been killed."

"Shut up!" Link snapped. "I don't need this from you! I can't be worrying about…"

He distracted himself by charging in at an enemy and bringing it down. But Nabeen's words continued to haunt him. He knew that his allies were risking their lives for this, but he'd managed not to think too much about those that had died so far. He couldn't afford to think about this now.

He brought the Master Sword clashing against the blade of a darknut and his hand slipped. The darknut's sword slid up and tore into his arm

"Damn," Link hissed, stepping swiftly backwards. The darknut lunged towards him.

"What are you doing?" Nabeen hissed, dashing in to block the enemy's attack. She took over the fight, driving the darknut away.

"Are you okay?" Navi asked, bobbing anxiously near Link's head.

Link flinched and pressed his bleeding arm against his side.

"Shoot," he hissed. "This is bad." He could tell that the cut was deep, and it was running down most of his right forearm. It was bleeding badly.

He dropped his sword and quickly tore off his sleeve and wrapped it around his arm. Even though he was left-handed, he still needed his right arm to fight.

"I'll go get the great fairy," Navi said. And she zoomed off out of sight.

Link grabbed the hilt of his sword, but his fingers were slippery with blood. Fortunately Nabeen was covering him. But if several monsters charged them at once, she wouldn't be able to hold them off.

There was a familiar giggling sound, and Link looked over to see Skull Kid. Dimitri (the red alligator/dinosaur thing), and the Keaton (the yellow 3-tailed fox) were with him.

"We came to help." Skull Kid said, grinning. He raised his trumpet and blew out a reedy note. Several of his puppets appeared. They formed a protective barrier around Link.

Link smiled. "Thanks guys."

Link took the opportunity to scan the battlefield again.

"Shoot. I recognize them," He muttered, catching sight of two flying figures that were gliding low to throw attacks at his allies. One shot out ice while the other blasted fire. Both of them were riding broomsticks.

Link grit his teeth. The Twinrova were causing a lot of damage. He wanted to fight them, but he couldn't in the state he was in. Hopefully Navi would arrive soon with a fairy healer. But if they were busy keeping his friends from dying, he didn't want to distract them. That was more important than his arm. Actually, if he could kill the Twinrova, he could probably save a lot of lives. But if the Twinrova found him now, injured and unable to fight… well, that would be bad.

There also seemed to be a third figure flying around up there. On a broomstick? No, it was the girl who was riding the vacuum cleaner. She seemed to be sucking in some of the Twinrova's attacks through the hose of the vacuum.

"Hey, that's Maple," Dimitri said, also looking at the vacuum-riding witch. "I hope she's okay up there, fighting those things."

"If she keeps sucking up their attacks, they'll probably go after her next," Link panted.

A moment later, Midna and her shadow bird arrived to help Medli battle Koume and Kotake. She started using her magic to shoot at them. At least Maple had someone to help her now.

"Do you want to climb on?" Dimitri asked, offering his back to Link.

"I need to wait for the Great Fairy," Link replied. "Thanks though."

Dimitri nodded and kept his eyes on the field, prepared to act as a shield for Link.

Link glanced down at his arm and quickly shut his eyes. The makeshift bandage was already soaked through. He was starting to feel a little lightheaded. He knew that there were some major veins in his arms. If they'd been cut…

"Here they come," Dimitri said, bracing himself.

Link looked in the direction that Dimitri was looking. He blinked a couple times, but couldn't seem to bring the enemy into focus. Surely a bad sign.

He tightened his fist around the hilt of the Master Sword, but could still feel his wet fingers slipping. Also a bad sign.

As the unknown enemy approached, Link swung his sword, but it didn't hit anything. The enemy hadn't come close enough. Link's blurred sight made it hard to tell. He cursed and tried swinging again. But he swung too hard and felt himself lean sideways. Before he knew it, was flat on the ground.

"Hey!" Nabeen shouted, vaulting over Dimitri to land next to Link.

The blurry outline of her feet was the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes.

"Damnit," Nabeen hissed. Her Gerudo outfit wasn't really possible to tear up, so she quickly cut off Link's other sleeve and tied it tightly around his arm. She pressed against the cut with both hands.

"Cover us," she shouted to the others.

Dimitri nodded and hunkered down behind them. Keaton stood at the ready to their other side. Around them, Skull Kids puppets fought anything that came too close.

"He's lost too much blood," Nabeen muttered. "We need to get him some help. Where's that blasted dragon?"

"Should I carry him?" Dimitri offered.

Nabeen shook her head. "He'd be too vulnerable up there. He could get hit by an arrow or something."

"Eeeyaaaaaa!" shouted Skull Kid. He hopped backwards, taking shelter beside Nabeen and Link.

"What?" Nabeen demanded.

"It's coming!" Skull kid gasped, shivering in terror.

"What?"

"Hmm, that thing, is it?" Asked Keaton, cocking his head, unconcerned.

Skull kid nodded, huddling up beside Dimitri.

"I can't see anything from here," Nabeen growled, continuing to press against Link's arm. "What is it?"

"The mask," replied Keaton, swishing his tails. "The thing that tried to drop the moon on Termina. Majora's Mask."

"What? A mask?" Nabeen repeated blankly.

"That's right," Keaton said. "It possessed Skull Kid, which is why he's so afraid of it. Unfortunately, it looks like his puppets have been wiped out, and he hasn't called for more of them. Hmm. The mask seems to be coming this way."

"How can a mask do anything?" Nabeen snapped, trying to peer around Dimitri's side to see what was coming.

Suddenly something long wrapped itself around Dimitri. He gave a frightened bellow as he was dragged forwards. He dug his feet in, but the thing continued to pull him.

Skull Kid squealed again and dove next to Nabeen for protection.

Then Nabeen saw what was causing Skull Kid to cower in fear.

It was a tall, vaguely human-shaped thing colored in strange patterns, including a pair of large eyes on its chest. Its arms were long and whip-like, and it was using these to reel Dimitri in. He chomped down on one of the long arms, but it didn't release him.

Keaton bounded forwards and sank his teeth into one of the arms. It had no effect. Instead, the Majora's Mask lifted Dimitri and flung him against the ground. He skidded away from them, leaving a deep rut in the ground. He didn't move.

Keaton was knocked loose and landed on his feet, growling and bristling.

And then something huge bounded over Nabeen, its long fur brushing against her. It crunched its large jaws down on one of Majora's arms and dragged it off its feet.

The furry creature faced Majora's Mask and snarled. He was almost the size of an elephant, with a long snout and long hair-like fur over his body. Plates of armor rested on his back, and his tail lashed out behind him.

He lunged forwards, snapping with his jaws again. The two monsters clashed in a snarling, tangled mass.

Nabeen wanted to drag Link away, but she needed to keep putting pressure on his arm. And Skull Kid was still in the way, crouched beside her, whimpering.

"Link!" someone shouted.

Nabeen looked around and saw Navi flying towards them.

"The Great Fairy is coming," she gasped. "What happened to him?"

"He lost too much blood and collapsed," Nabeen said.

"Here she comes," Navi exclaimed.

A little girl with the doll appeared from somewhere – the child-like fairy queen.

Nabeen stepped back from Link and let the Great Fairy kneel beside him. She placed her hands on Link's arm and closed her eyes.

Nabeen turned to watch Majora's Mask fight with the armor-wearing beast. The two of them crashed through groups of friends and foes, causing damage to both sides. The beast finally got its teeth clamped down on Majora's body. He threw it so it landed haveily on the ground, and he charged after it, plowing over several other people. Once more, the armor beast bit down, twisted his neck, and slammed Majora's Mask into the ground. This time Majora's strange body dissolved and a colorful, spiked mask clattered to the ground.

The Twinrova suddenly appeared and began shooting fire and ice down on the beast. It roared in fury and swiped at them, but couldn't reach. A beam of ice froze his feet to the ground, immobilizing him. Then a jet of fire struck him in the side and he keeled over.

Midna and her twilight bird arrived, chasing after the Twinrova. Her bird was slower than the two witches and they kept flying away from her and her attacks. Maple zoomed after them as well, and they were soon far away.

Link opened his eyes and sat up. He shut his eyes for a moment to try to chase off a dizzy spell.

"Are you okay?" Navi asked, concerned.

Link touched his arm and slowly nodded. He pulled off the soaked bandages and saw a thin white scar where he had been cut. He tried to stand up, the the fairy queen shook her head.

"Sit there for a couple minutes. You've lost a lot of blood. I've healed most of your wounds, but you need to rest for at least a couple minutes."

"There might not be time for that," said Nabeen, looking out across the field.

"What?" Link asked, automatically reaching for his sword.

Nabeen pointed. A few hundred feet away, someone had appeared: A dark skinned man with red hair. He wore black armor and a cape, and was holding a sword.

No one needed to ask who it was. Ganon had arrived at last.


	30. The Points of the Triangle

Someone said that the last chapter is like a Super Smash Brothers Zelda game. That would be so awesome! I wanna paly it!

Chapter 30: The Points of the Triangle

Link eyes were glued on Ganon, but Ganon was too far to have noticed him yet.

And Ganon hadn't arrived alone. He'd brought another battalion of troops.

As the crowd noticed Ganon's arrival, a hush rippled across the field. Everyone grew still. There was a shifting of the battlefield as the two sides separated, the enemy regrouping around Ganon. Link's allies clustering closer together.

Once again, Ganon's forces outnumbered them.

"Here we go again," Nabeen murmured, adjusting her knives in her hands.

Link slowly stood up, and found that he was a little wobbly on his feet.

"Wait," said the Great Fairy. She stood in front of Link and placed her hands on his shoulders. Link suddenly felt energy flood through him, and the dizziness left.

"I was going to save some of my strength, but I think that it's best for you to be at 100% for this fight," the Fairy Queen said.

Link gave a small nod. "Thanks," he said, hefting his sword. He felt perfect. It didn't seem like he'd spent the past several hours in battle, or that his arm had been cut. He felt refreshed and ready to go.

"Wait," he said. "Does this mean you won't be able to heal anyone else?"

"I'll manage," she said lightly.

Link wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, but he decided not to press the matter. He had a job to do. He took a step towards Ganon.

"I'm coming," Nabeen said, moving up beside him.

"You can't," Link said, staring at her.

"Well, I am. This is the guy that kidnapped me! I'm going to teach him a lesson!"

"This is no ordinary guy," Link said, frustrated. "He-"

Nabeen cut him off. "He has the same mark as me." She held up her hand, showing the Triforce of Power marked there. "And you have it too. I'm no pushover. And I want to do this."

She glared at Link, daring him to deny her request.

He sighed. "Fine. You can come, but let me fight him first. Don't interfere unless-"

"Unless he's about to chop your head off. Then I'll interfere," she said. "Unless you'd like me to wait until after he's chopped your head off."

Link wanted to say something rude to her, but he decided against it. He couldn't afford a distraction now. And it looked like Ganon's forces were moving forwards to strike.

"I need to get up there," he said. "I have to get rid of him as soon as possible!"

"I thought he creamed you last time," Nabeen said. "That he was stronger than you remembered. And he stuck you in a prison."

Link ignored her. He wouldn't let this fight be a repeat of the last one.

"Wait," said the Great Fairy.

Annoyed, Link turned around. Everyone kept distracting him! Didn't they know how important it was for him to stop Ganon? Across the field, Ganon's troops were once more clashing with their allies.

Wordlessly, the little fairy queen raised her arm and pointed.

Link followed her gaze. She was pointing at the edge of the gaping pit. There was a girl standing there. She was dressed in boyish clothes, in a green tunic and tan breeches. There was a hilted sword hanging at her waist and a golden ponytail hung behind her head. She was shading her eyes, gazing out at the battle.

Link had never seen her before in his life, but his mouth fell open as he stared at her. With that green outfit there was no mistaking who she was. She was one of Link's reincarnations. A girl with the mark of courage.

Someone climbed up out of the pit and stood beside her and the two of them grinned at each other. Judging from his dress, he was nobility.

"That's the prince of Hyrule," Nabeen said, sounding startled and confused. "He's here?"

Link stared at him. So, this was the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom in the era when Nabeen lived. And the hero of that time was a female. And Nabeen made up the third bearer of the Triforce.

And slowly more people lined up behind the girl and the prince. Dozens of them. Blond boys clad in green, and golden-haired princesses. Some of them were boys and girls, only about 10 years old. Others were Link's age, around 17. Then Vaati and Ralph appeared, and Medli flapped into sight a moment later, wearing the green bird hat. She was also carrying a Korok - the one known as Makar. Finally came Din with two other women, one dressed in blue and one in green – Nayru and Farore.

A smile slowly spread across Link's face. Although they were still outnumbered, the bearers of the Triforce were worth any number of Ganon's minions.

"YYEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" shouted the band of newcomers. All of them surged forwards to clash with the enemy.

"Let's do this," Link said, adjusting his sword and shifting his feet.

Nabeen and Link charged forwards, heading towards Ganon. They passed friend and foe alike, but never paused for more than a few moments to raise a hand in greeting or swing their blades at an approaching threat.

They passed Midna, who seemed to have lost her shadow bird. She was with one of the Links, and the two of them were engaged in a fight against the Twinrova.

Link trusted the battle to them, and they continued heading for Ganon.

"I lost sight of him," Link said. "Where'd he go?"

"It's not hard to tell," Nabeen replied. "See, look."

Off to one side, a mushroom cloud of dust rose up from the battlefield. No doubt a result of one of Ganon's attacks.

"Come on," Nabeen said, dashing off towards it.

Link followed her.

They dodged back and forth through the throng. Link kept losing sight of Nabeen, but she always appeared again. She was so fast and agile. He got the impression that she kept coming back so that he had a chance to catch up.

Suddenly a wave of dust was kicked up in their face. Link raised his arm to shield his face, and he shut his eyes. No doubt from another of Ganon's attacks. When the dust settled, he looked up again.

Instead of looking at a man, he was facing a huge beast with large tusks and a shaggy red mane. Ganon in his beast form, though Link had never seen him look quite like this before.

He reared up on his hind legs and stampeded forwards, plowing through a group of people in front of him. His thundering feet kicked dirt up into the air in a blinding wave. Ganon came to a halt and glanced around. Then he shifted back into a human shape once again.

He was facing away from them. He hadn't seen the arrive. Link tightened his grip on the Master Sword's hilt and charged forwards.

Ganon heard the footsteps and turned in time to raise his sword.

Sparks flew as the two blades met. They released the attack and Link took a step backwards.

"Attacking from behind," Ganon said, sounding amused. "An unusual tactic for you."

Link didn't respond. He waited, watching for Ganon's next move. When it didn't come, he charged again. As he swung his sword around, Ganon's foot came up and caught him in the chest. Link gasped and fell backwards, the wind knocked out of him. He rolled away and got quickly to his feet, but Ganon hadn't moved. He was watching Link, clearly enjoying toying with him.

Link massaged his ribs with his free hand. Was that Ganon's "revenge" for Link attacking from behind?

Link stood up straight and calm, and stared at Ganon. He wasn't going to let Ganon play with him. And he _wasn't_ going to lose.

Ganon waited for Link to make another move, but he didn't. He waited and watched. When Ganon realized that Link wasn't going to play along, he took several slow steps forwards. Link waited.

Suddenly Ganon swung his sword with the force of a hammer. Link blocked the blow, and felt his bones chatter at the force of it. The two of them exchanged a series of fierce blows which echoed around the field.

Link made use of his agility, darting around his larger, slower foe. He'd gotten the idea from watching Nabeen. Ganon somehow managed to block all of Link's attacks. Then Link feinted to the side and grazed Ganon's arm with his sword. Ganon twisted his sword and the hilt connected with Link's head. Link's teeth banged together painfully and lights winked in front of his eyes. He managed to bring his sword up to block the next attack, but his head was still ringing.

Link blocked attack after attack, retreating further as he tried to regain his senses. Every time he blocked a blow, his head throbbed painfully. Finally he regained his senses and lunged forwards with a renewed attack.

Once again, Link's arms began to ache under the strain of blocking and swinging. But he grit his teeth and continued fighting.

Then the tip of Ganon's sword slid forwards and nicked Link's fingers. It caught on the hilt of the Master Sword and twisted it out of Link's grip. His weapon flew from his hand and clattered to the ground several yards away. Link sprang out of the way as Ganon swung his sword straight down at him.

He ducked beneath the next swing, and flattened against the ground as the next one came at his head. He started to roll to the side, but as the sword came down at him again. He knew he wasn't going to get out of the way in time.

Suddenly a blur shot through the air and landed on Ganon's outstretched arm. There was a flash of metal and Ganon grunted in pain as two gashes appeared on his shoulders. He took several steps backwards as the figure sprang away and landed beside Link. Nabeen glanced down at him. Link nodded, breathing heavily, and quickly got to his feet. Someone stepped up to his other side. It was Sheik. He'd come back again. He handed Link the Master Sword and drew his own long rapier. The three of them faced Ganon. He sneered at them.

Link normally wouldn't have thought it fair for the three of them to gang up on one man, but this fight was beyond fair. They had to win, no matter what.

Suddenly the marks on each of their hands began to glow with a bright gold light. Once again, Link felt himself flooded with energy. Though each piece of the Triforce came from a different era, they were nevertheless responding, giving their bearers energy.

Link, Sheik and Nabeen exchanged nods, and the three of them moved together.

Ganon stepped backwards and snatched a sword from one of his minions. With two blades, he stood to meet the three warriors. Then they were on him, and this time the strength of the Triforce drove them on. Ganon's two swords lashed feverishly as he blocked attacks from three directions. He retreated further and further backwards towards the edge of the field. Enemies and friends alike parted as they passed.

Eventually they drove Ganon up against the cliffs that bordered the field. He was breathing heavily and seemed to be running out of energy. For a moment, it seemed like they had him cornered.

Then Ganon swept his sword low at Sheik. He jumped backwards, but the tip of the blade grazed his thigh. Sheik quickly backed away.

Link took a step back.

"Are you okay?" He called.

"It's shallow. I'll be fine," Sheik replied.

Link turned just in time to see Nabeen streaking in towards Ganon. Ganon gave the smallest of smiles and his sword sliced downwards.

There was a flash of crimson, and Nabeen came to a halt. For a moment she stood there, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. Then her knives dropped from her fingers and her legs buckled beneath her. There was a gash that tore along the base of her arm and shoulder.

The Triforce on her hand blinked twice, and then faded. Link felt the rush of energy from his own Triforce diminish.

He stood there, stunned. _She can't be dead, _he thought desperately. _She's too strong to die that easily! _

"Your moves were predictable," Ganon said to Nabeen's motionless form crumpled on the ground. He swung his sword down at her to deliver the finishing blow.

Link launched forwards, catching Ganon's sword inches away from Nabeen's middle. With a mighty heave, he pushed Ganon away from her. He charged forwards, falling on Ganon like a wild dog, giving Sheik time to drag Nabeen into a protected alcove in the cliff.

"Rather pathetic," Ganon huffed. "Even with three of you, you still haven't beaten me. Your friends are pretty pathetic."

Link grit his teeth and swung harder. One of Ganon's swords flew out of his hand, but Ganon's smirk remained stubbornly in place. Link was aware that he had been stronger a moment ago with the Triforce was blazing on his hand. He felt weaker now that its light was gone, and Ganon no doubt noticed as well. Ganon didn't even seem to be trying his hardest anymore. That somehow made Link mad. He redoubled his efforts, and Ganon backed away and ended up agains the cliff wall again. It was almost like he was _trying_ to corner himself against the cliff.

Link realized it too late. As Ganon lowered his sword, he braced his foot against the base of the cliff and launched forwards, using his momentum to drive his elbow against Link's head.

Link skidded across the ground and tumbled to a halt. He lay sprawled on his stomach with his head throbbing horribly. It felt like his head had been cracked open. His head hurt so much that he could barely even push himself to his knees.

By the time he'd managed to get to his hands and knees, Ganon was standing over him once again, a twisted smile on his face. Ganon started to kneel down besides Link, his sword tip tauntingly close to his head.

Link scrambled backwards a few feet. It was hard to see straight. His vision was swimming. He could see his shadow was waving back and forth in front of him, as though it belonged to a wind-tossed tree.

No… wait… his shadow _was_ moving!

Link stared as a dark, foggy hand reached up out of his shadow and clamped down onto Ganon's wrist.

Ganon looked down startled. The head and shoulders of a boy rose up out of the ground. His face was split in a broad, triumphant grin.

"What's wrong, Ganon? Did you forget that you were actually fighting two of us?"

With his other hand, Shadow Link made a swift gesture to Link.

Link nodded in understanding. As Shadow Link tightened his grip on Ganon's arm, Link sprang to his feet and drove the Master Sword forwards with all his might. Link's body slid forwards as the blade sunk down to the hilt, and for a moment, he was face-to-face with Ganon.

Ganon's eyes were wide, his mouth open in shock. Link quickly scrambled away, letting go of the Master Sword.

Shadow Link released Ganon's arm, and once again melted back into the shadows. He gave one final grin to Link as he faded away once more.

Trembling all over, Link stared down at Ganon. Ganon's fingers loosened around his sword, and it clanged to the ground. His knees thudded to the earth, and then he toppled forwards onto the ground. The tip of the Master Sword was protruding through Ganon's back.

Link released a great breath, and dropped to his knees. A shudder passed over him, and he let his head fall back so he was staring up at the sky.

Then he glanced down at his shadow once more. He smiled.

"Thanks, my old friend."


	31. Splitting Paths

Wow. Another fanfic completed. And I just finished my other one too!

I hope you all enjoyed the ride. It was a crazy journey, although fun to write (and hopefully to read!). I got to bring together all of the characters scattered across the Zelda games. A few of my ideas never made it, but I got the most important ones in. A lot of the story was completely improvised , but that was cool too. It seemed to work unusually well for this fanfic.

I think I'll go back and fix up my Midna fanfic now. I'm really unsatisfied with the battle scenes. Come check it out!

Chapter 31: Splitting Paths

"Stop treating me like an invalid! I'm fine, and I don't need to be carried everywhere!"

"At least she's feeling better," Link said quietly, grinning at Navi.

Navi laughed and nodded in agreement. "No one who's feeling too bad can be that loud. I'll go tell Midna that she's doing okay." She sped offover the rows of tents that made up their camp. Now that the battle was over, they were once again in the Twilight realm, letting everyone recover before they returned to their own homes and times.

Link peeked into the tent where Nabeen was sitting on the edge of a cot. Though her face showed no sign of weakness, her arm was in a sling. Link wondered if she would be able to use her arm again. The cut could have easily cut the nerves through her shoulder. The fairies had done their best to fix it, but there had been so many injuries that most of their healing magic had been worn out before the end of the battle. At least they'd managed to save Nabeen's life.

It had been the same with Link. They'd healed the worst of his injuries, but he was still covered with several cuts and bruises. He'd had a pretty fierce headache from when Ganon hit him, not to mention a pretty impressive bruise. But a few days later, that was starting to clear up as well.

Nabeen slowly rose up to her feet and balanced there uncertainly for a moment. The Twili girl who had been tending her fidgeted nervously, but didn't want to get shouted at again by her patient. Link stepped into the tent.

"You should be careful walking," he suggested.

"Oh, zip it," she said, taking an experimental step.

Link watched with a raised eyebrow. "Where do you plan to go anyway?"

"Out of this tiny tent," she replied, keeping her eyes glued to the ground in an attempt to keep balance.

"Sheik's feeling better," Link explained. "Well, actually, he's not Sheik anymore. With the battle over, Sheik turned into Princess Zelda again."

"I'll have to get you to explain how that works," Nabeen scoffed.

"Don't ask me," Link said, holding up his hands and grinning. "Do you want to come and see everyone?"

"What do you mean, everyone?" she demanded. "I only know a couple of the people here."

"You said you wanted to get out." Link shrugged. "I thought you'd like to visit some people."

Nabeen looked up at him, and for once, she didn't make a scathing remark. "Maybe later. I just wanted to… to test my strength."

Nabeen looked down at her bandaged shoulder and the arm hanging limp in the sling. She took a deep breath and put out her good arm to steady herself against the table. From the look on her face, Link thought he understood what had just happened. She couldn't feel her arm.

"You'll be fine," Link assured her.

"Did anyone die that we know?" Nabeen asked, sitting back down on the bed and regaining her matter-of-fact attitude.

Link glanced off to the side. "Too many people died. But as for someone you might know? Well, I guess Shadow Link doesn't count, huh?" He glanced down at his shadow, which gave a slight shrugging motion in reply. "But… we did lose one person from our group. Although… I'd thought he was dead to begin with."

"Who?" Nabeen asked.

"Volvagia," Link replied. He looked down at his hand and absently flexed his fingers. "You know how the two dragons brought a lot of the injured people off the battlefield? Well, the enemy tried to ambush the infirmary. He was trying to defend the place when it happened."

"A brave soul," Nabeen said, nodding. "A brave dragon. He'll be well remembered."

"Pretty much everyone else got badly beat up," Link continued in an attempt to change the topic. "Let's see. Of the six sages, Darunia, Impa, and Nabooru were pretty battered, but they're okay. Saria and Ruto weren't too bad off. Skull Kid made it out fine. Vaati was pretty beat up. " Link ticked off on his fingers as he counted through the people he knew. "Medli was fine. She, Nayru, Din, and Farore headed to the infirmary to help out rather than take part in the battle, so they escaped the worse. Ralph and Midna got it pretty bad, but they're doing okay. Epona's doing better. And Valoo was in bad shape, but he's being treated."

"Is that all?" Nabeen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, no, but that's the main news. I don't want to keep going on, but I've been trying to follow how everyone's doing. Since I heard you'd woken up, I thought I'd come over to tell you what's been going on."

"Yes. I heard you killed Ganon. Good job. I wish I could have been more help."

"You did help. A lot."

"I'm flattered," she muttered. "But I still got it pretty bad." She half-heartedly indicated her injured arm.

"I took a few bad hits too," Link said, flinching.

"Yes," Nabeen said flatly.

Link gave a half smile before continuing. "Do you know what's really realllyyy strange?" he asked.

"You mean besides boys turning into wolves and little girls riding vacuum cleaners?"

"Uh, yes. Besides that. It's when I'm walking through the camp, and someone walks by that looks exactly like me, or just like me when I was younger. There's a lot of… Links around. And Zeldas too.

"It would be strange to have several clones walking around, yes."

Link smiled. "Well, I hope you feel better soon. The, uh, Prince of Hyrule and the… heroine wanted to come and visit you, since you're all from the same time. If you want, I can tell them to come in."

"Visitors," Nabeen sighed, exasperated. "Well, if they must."

"Everyone's going to be heading home soon," Link added as he stepped towards the exit. " So, I mainly wanted to say thank you, in case I didn't get another chance too."

She raised a hand in farewell as Link stepped outside. As he dropped the flap behind him, he heard a soft "thanks" from inside. He smiled and went to speak with his female counterpart and the prince.

…

With the passage of a few more days, preparations were finally complete and everyone was ready to go home. It was strange to think that in just a few hours, Link would leave all of these people behind and return to his old life.

He stood at the fence to the corral, stroking Epona's nose. Though she still limped, her leg was almost healed.

"I almost don't want to go home," he admitted. "I've met so many people that I'll never see again."

"At least you'll always remember them, right?"

Link jumped and turned around. The Rito girl, Medli, was walking towards him.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. It's kind of funny. I didn't really get to know you very well. But I did spend a lot of time with… him." She pointed down at Link's shadow.

Link laughed. "I'll bet he was a handful, huh?"

Medli smiled. "I suppose. He did cause a lot of trouble, but-" She suddenly let out a shriek and jumped into the air. She flapped her wings several times, hovering a few feet above the ground.

"What?" Link asked startled.

"Something just grabbed my ankle!"

Medli landed a short distance away, and together the two of them looked down at the ground. There was nothing there except Link's shadow, which gave every appearance of smirking in amusement.

"Oh, sure," Link said in mock exhasperation, "I give you a little freedom, and you think you can come out any time you feel like it?"

Medli laughed. "Well, you see what I mean, at least. But we couldn't have done it without him. "

"You're right. We owe him a lot. And he's never gonna let me live it down."

The two of them laughed.

"It's hard to believe that we'll be going home in a few hours," Medli sighed at last. "There's so many great people here! And some pretty strange ones too. It's just so strange to think that some of live hundreds of years apart from each other. Under normal circumstances, we never would have met."

"You can say that again! Come on. Let's go meet the others." He took Epona's lead rope and started guiding her slowly along. The three of them headed towards the clearing where everyone was waiting, ready to go home at last.


End file.
